The Tenant, The Sensei
by L.V. of Wales
Summary: What if the Kyuubi showed himself to Naruto at a young age because of a life threatening situation and agreed to help him train to become the Hokage?
1. The Tenant

This is my first fanfic so please be kind.

Sorry, I just had to add a few things to this first chapter, I don't think I made Naruto's childhood harsh enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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Chapter 1 – The Tenant

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Once again Naruto found himself stuck on the streets of Konoha after dark. The carers at the orphanage had seen him running for the gates, trying to get back in before closing them. They were too fast for him this time as they had gotten every other child in before him and closed the gates as he got there.

Normally, Naruto wouldn't mind sleeping on the streets, it would mean he was safe from the violent wake-up call he usually gets from the other kids and carers even if it meant braving the streets. Whenever he went out on the streets at night, if he was found by some drunks or angry ninja, he would get beaten and if he was unlucky they would stab him in the shoulder or somewhere else non lethal. After that they would leave him.

Thing is, this night was different, it was the night of his birthday. It was this day that the whole village mourned the death of the 4th Hokage during the day and then celebrate his victory against the Kyuubi at night. Although for Naruto it was what he liked to call the 'Hate-Naruto-More-Than-Normal day'.

The past 3 years it just kept getting worse every birthday. He would always be left on the streets at night and when found, would get beaten and stabbed or cut with broken bottles or kunai, it was a sure thing on this day. He knew they were holding back on him because he was still only a child, tonight though he was more fearful for it was his 6th birthday and he had grown taller which made him look older and he knew the villagers wouldn't hold back as much.

Sure enough while dumpster diving for some food, a group of drunks found him and started beating him senseless. After a while they started using some broken sake bottles to stab and cut his back. As he was losing consciousness, he saw an ANBU with a dog mask jump down from the rooftops and knock-out a few of the drunks, later on he would find out this ANBU had saved his life.

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Naruto opened his eyes slowly expecting to see hospital lights or the afterlife, instead he was met with a very dim light source he could not identify and the sound of a steady drip of water in the distance. _'Where in the name of Kami am I now'_ thought Naruto as he got up and looked at his surroundings.

_'Guess I may as well have a look around, seeing as I probably won't be leaving for some time' _Naruto thought as he started walking in the direction of the dripping sound.

After walking for a while Naruto noticed that the floor he was walking on was submerged in water. _'Why didn't I feel the water?' _Thought Naruto as he checked his clothes and found them completely dry _'This is just getting creepy, I'm sure I was lying down when I woke up... so why aren't my clothes wet?'_

After what felt like hours of walking Naruto came up to a dead end with bars blocking off the last hundred feet of the corridor. About halfway up the center of the bars there was a piece of parchment with the kanji for seal on it. Stepping closer to the bars Naruto peered inside, not sure what he was going to see.

SHING!

Without warning a pair of large red eyes, with slits for pupils, snapped open, making Naruto jump back a few feet. Naruto could have sworn it sounded like someone had just drawn a sword.

"**So Kit you finally made it here? Wish it could have been under other circumstances though." **Said the faceless being

"Huh!? Who...what are you and where am I?" Blurted out Naruto panic evident on his face.

"**To answer your questions in order, I am the Kyuubi and this is your mind or rather your subconscious mind to be precise" **Answered the faceless being, now known as the Kyuubi

"What the hell are you doing here? Your supposed to be dead, the 4th killed you! Come to think of it why am I here?" Asked Naruto a little calmer.

"**You ask a lot of questions Kit. But I guess I might as well answer you. First off I wasn't killed 6 years ago by the Yondaime, for one it would be impossible for a human to truly kill a demon and he just couldn't kill me because it went against his morals. As to-"**

"What do you mean he couldn't kill you?" Naruto cut in.

"**DAMMIT! Let me finish your other questions first will you!" **Bellowed the Kyuubi. Causing Naruto to fall back in shock.

"Uuh-uhm, s-s-sorry K-Kyuubi-san. Please continue." Naruto said hurriedly.

"**(Cough) Good... now where was I? Oh right! As to why I'm here, it's because Yondaime sealed my in you to save the village 6 years ago."** A look of understanding suddenly came over Naruto's face.

_**'This kid's not as stupid as I thought.'**_The Kyuubi continued, **"Yes Kit, that's why almost everyone hates you and treats you badly. The reason why the Yondaime couldn't kill me is because if he dealt a finishing blow my chakra would disperse and I would have simply reappeared somewhere else, also he was a friend of mine and he had always promised to protect his friends and loved ones. Which leads to me being here, sealed in you."**

"But why where you sealed in me and not someone else?" Asked Naruto.

"**I was sealed in you because you had just been born and your chakra system was still growing and shaping itself, which meant you where the best chance I had to survive inside a human without killing myself and my host. In the process of sealing me in you though the Yondaime killed himself with the jutsu he used. Guess I should tell you that he didn't mean for your life to be hell, in fact his last request was for you to be viewed as a hero but most of Konoha wanted to blame someone for their loss and pain and seeing as I was in you, they saw you as me and they had their target." **Explained the Kyuubi.

"Wait, you said 'most of Konoha' and 'almost everyone' hates me, I mean the Hokage is nice to me whenever he sees me but who else is there?" Asked Naruto, surprising Kyuubi a little with his analysis, even though he didn't let it show.

"**I got one answer for you question Kit. Why do you think that ANBU saved you?"** Answered Kyuubi.

"Oh yeah! He was wearing that dog mask!" Exclaimed Naruto.

"**That's right. Anyway before you leave, the reason your here is because you have just come close to death. Don't worry though I'm healing you as we speak, your going to be fine. There is another reason though, I have become sick of seeing how the villagers treat you so I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself and train you to be stronger. I am also going to teach you about your parents what they gave you." **Explained Kyuubi.

"Wait just one second! You knew my parents as well!?" Shouted Naruto.

"**Yes I did know them. But your going to have to wait for now Kit, it seems our time in here is coming to an end." **Answered Kyuubi.

"What areeeee yyyyooooouuuu tt-" All of a sudden everything slowed down and came to a stop for Naruto even his voice. Then all he saw was darkness.

* * *

"Whu-where am I?" Asked Naruto groggily with his eyes still closed.

"You're in the hospital Naruto" Came an all too familiar voice. It was the best thing Naruto could have heard at that moment.

"OJII-SAN!" Cried Naruto as he sat up quickly and his eyes snapped open looking for the Hokage. His eyes rested on his right side where the Hokage was sitting in a visitors chair, before he rested his eyes though he saw that the ANBU who saved him was also in the room, standing in the corner.

"It's good to see that your feeling better Naruto but from what the Doctors told me you should not have woken up after at least another day of rest" Naruto gave him the usual foxy grin that he used around the Hokage.

"What do doctors know huh Ojii-san?" Replied Naruto scratching the back of his head with his right hand. "Oh and thank you ANBU-san for saving me." Said Naruto looking over at the ANBU in the corner. Now that he looked at him properly the first thing he noticed was the ANBU's hair. It was silvery-gray and looked like someone had used a huge static charge to make the hair stand up and stick out to the ANBU's left side.

"No problem." Replied the ANBU calmly from behind his mask. "You took quite a beating from those guys, you were lucky that I was passing by. I have to say though, I'm surprised at how fast you heal, maybe you should become a shinobi with that talent, it should also help you defend yourself."

"That isn't a bad idea Hatake-san." Said the Hokage. "So what do you say Naruto? Do you want to enter the Ninja Academy?" Asked the Hokage.

_'Aww, man that sounds like good idea but what about the Kyuubi he said he would train me so that I could defend myself.' _Thought Naruto.

_**'Actually Kit it would be a good idea to take the old man up on this offer. I mean it would be a little suspicious if you suddenly knew how to fight'**_ Said a voice in Naruto's head.

_'What? Who said that!?' _Naruto thought. _**'Kit you really are slow sometimes you know that?' **_Said the voice again.

_'Wait a second Kyuubi is that you? I thought I wouldn't be able to talk to you unless I was in my subconscious?'_

_**'Well surprise Kit! While I was talking to you I managed to set up a mental link to your conscious mind, this way I can train you easier.' **_Explained the Kyuubi.

"Alright that's great!" Exclaimed Naruto, surprising the Hokage and ANBU there.

"I'll take that as a yes then Naruto!" Said the Hokage.

"What? Oh yeah! That's great Ojii-san when can I start?" Answered Naruto, while scratching the back of his head again. _'Damn! That was awkward' _Thought Naruto.

_**'God damn it Kit! You don't have to talk out loud, just think what you want to say to me!" **_Barked the Kyuubi.

_'Sorry Kyuubi-san.' _Thought Naruto.

"Well... it's the weekend now so how does this Monday sound?" Asked the Hokage.

"That's great Ojii-san!" Exclaimed Naruto. "But what about school stuff, you know backpacks and stuff like that?"

"Don't worry we'll make sure you've got what you need." Explained the ANBU. "Hokage-sama maybe we should also move him into an apartment and out of the orphanage?"

At the mention of moving out of the orphanage Naruto just jumped up and pleaded the Hokage, "Yeah! Please Ojii-san can I move out of the orphanage?"

Seeing this the Hokage simply sighed and said, "Very well. We'll need to find you an apartment fairly close to the academy then. Hatake-san, could you please go out and find him an apartment? As soon as you find one give me the address and I'll take care of the rest." After this the ANBU simply disappeared in a swirl of leaves with a simple, "As you wish Hokage-sama."

"Right then why don't you stay here for tonight Naruto? I'll send Hatake-san to get you when we get that apartment for you. Don't worry about money for food either I'll send you a small allowance every week to pay for food and such. I'll also have Hatake-san get you what you need for the academy." At this Naruto simply jumped from the bed and hugged the Hokage.

"Thanks Ojii-san!" Exclaimed Naruto._'Hey Kyuubi-san? Should I tell Ojii-san about you?'_

_**'Actually he already knows I'm sealed in you, but I guess it would be a good idea to tell him that you know about me. Just don't tell him that I can speak to you okay?' **_Answered Kyuubi.

_'Alright.' _Naruto took a breath and asked, "Ojii-san?"

"Yes Naruto?" Asked the Hokage.

"I know why the people of the village hate me now." Said Naruto in a somber voice.

The Hokage simply raised an eyebrow at this and asked, "Oh? And why do you think they hate you?"

"It's because of the Kyuubi sealed inside me, isn't it?" Upon hearing this the Hokage's face fell.

"I suppose you would have found out sooner or later anyway Naruto but yes that is why they look down on you.." Was all the Hokage said.

"Thanks for being honest Ojii-san. And thanks for not looking down on me like everyone else." said Naruto.

"It's alright Naruto. I know your just the container not the demon. If anything I have great respect for you Naruto you must shoulder this burden all on your own and you have never struck back at the village for this." Said the Hokage.

Naruto just looked up at the Hokage and said, "I've never had to carry this alone Ojii-san. You've been there and acknowledged me, that's lifted my spirits enough for me to survive." The Hokage smiled at this.

"That's good to hear Naruto! You should get some sleep now though you've got some busy days ahead of yourself tomorrow." Said the Hokage while picking up Naruto and putting him in the bed. "Remember, Hatake-san will be here tomorrow to take you to your apartment. Good night Naruto." The Hokage reminded Naruto as he walked out the door and switched the lights off.

"Good night Ojii-San." Yawned Naruto as he fell asleep.

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Well that was an interesting first chapter, Ne?

Plz read and review.


	2. A Brand New Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (wish I did though)

Damn this chapter just did not want to end! Anyway hope ya like it!

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Chapter 2 – A Brand New Day

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"Naruto-san!" Shouted the dog-mask ANBU known as Hatake.

"Mmmmmh?" Groaned Naruto still half asleep, under the covers of the hospital linen.

"Naruto-san I'm here to discharge you from the hospital and take you to your new apartment." Explained Hatake.

The moment Hatake finished that sentence there was a small whirlwind and Naruto appeared fully dressed in his only clothes, a white T-shirt with a red swirl on the back, some blue shorts that came down to his knees and a pair of worn sandals, and ready to go. "What are we waiting for then Hatake-san! Let's get going!"

Hatake just sighed at this and said, "Follow me."

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As soon as Naruto and Hatake left the hospital, Naruto employed the foxy grin he usually reserved for the Hokage. This caused Hatake to ask, "What's got you so happy?"

"Well, apart from finally getting out of that orphanage, I know something that the villagers don't!" Explained Naruto.

"Really what might that be?" Asked Hatake.

_'Kyuubi-san? You there?'_

_**'Aaaaaah.' **_Yawned Kyuubi. **_'Yeah I'm here Kit what's up?'_**

_'Should I tell Dog-mask here that I know about you?'_ Asked Naruto.

_**'No. You've already told the Hokage. I don't think anyone else should know for now.' **_Explained Kyuubi.

" 'Fraid it's a secret Hatake-san. Can't tell ya." Was all Naruto said.

Hatake looked at Naruto for a moment and thought, _'Does he know about Kyuubi? Nah! He couldn't, it's illegal to talk about the Kyuubi, even to him. Must have been the Hokage-sama that told him something to make him happy.'_ After this, Hatake thought nothing more of it.

Hatake and Naruto finally came to stop in front of an apartment complex. Hatake started up the stairs at the side of the building and stopped at apartment number '9' and handed Naruto a pair of keys, one being labeled 'SPARE'.

Hatake spoke up before turning to leave, "There's a backpack inside with school supplies already in it. There's also a set of kunai and shuriken. I suggest you don't start training with them until you get some basic knowledge from the academy. I also took the liberty of putting some food in the cupboards for you, don't get too excited it's just some instant ramen. If you need to get anything else like new clothes or some medical supplies, just take a look around town and you should be able to find what you need in some of the shops. Finally, here is your first allowance pack." Flicking the envelope towards Naruto who fumbled about before catching it. "You'll get another one at the beginning of every week. Try to save some of it every week. Now I have to report to the Hokage-sama. Bye."

At that Hatake just disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Naruto just stood there for about 5 minutes taking in all the information he received. Finally he just broke out in a huge smile, turned to the door of HIS apartment, stuck the key the lock and turned it. He opened the door and stepped over the threshold into the apartment, at first he just dashed around finding out where everything was. The bathroom was next to the bedroom, the bedroom was next to the living room/kitchen. By some standards it was a minimalists dream but for Naruto it was a safe haven. He wouldn't have to worry about staying out too late anymore, he could come and go as he pleases.

It was at this moment that the Kyuubi decided to speak up, _**'Hey Kit. I know your still over the moon about all this, but do you think I could talk to you?'**_

_'Sure Kyuubi-san what's up?'_

_**'First off no more of that Kyuubi-san stuff. If I'm going to be teaching you and training you, I would prefer it if you called me Kyuubi-sensei.'**_

_'How about Kyu-sensei?'_

_**'Hmmm, okay you can call me that,' **_Secretly smitten with his/her new nickname. **_'Now then I want you to sit down and close your eyes that way we can talk face to face.'_**

_'Okay' _Naruto said while sitting down on his new couch and crossing his legs and finally closing his eyes.

Naruto suddenly found himself back in front of the bars to Kyuubi's cage. The first thing to come out of Naruto's mouth was, "Do we always have to be in this place if your gonna be teaching me?"

"**Hey, that's up to you, it's your mind Kit." **Replied the Kyuubi.

"Okay lets see what I can do." Said Naruto as he started to concentrate. Suddenly the dank walls and submerged floor were replaced with a small room exactly the same as Naruto's new living room, the main difference being that the wall that usually led to the kitchen was replaced with the cage that held the Kyuubi. "There we go that's better." Said Naruto as he once again sat down on the couch. "Uh... Kyu-sensei? Do you have to always stay in that cage?" Asked Naruto.

"**Actually that was something I was going to go over with you. I will be taking a human form for the purpose of teaching you so I just wanted to ask you which gender would you prefer me to take?" **Asked the Kyuubi.

"Gender?" Asked Naruto confused.

The Kyuubi sighed, **"Do you want me to take the form of a man or a woman?" **Asked the Kyuubi exasperated.

"Oh! Well, I guess it would be better if you took the form of a man, I guess." Answered Naruto.

"**Very well." **Said the Kyuubi. After a few seconds, a red mist-like substance leaked from the cage and formed into a man about the same height as Hatake, the differences were though that Kyuubi had orange-red hair which was styled similarly to Naruto's hair except longer. The Kyuubi was barefoot with a red pair of pants that came down to his ankles and a shirt with a flame motif on it. He also had some bracelets on each wrist and a collar around his neck. His eyes though were exactly the same, red with slit pupils. In his current attire he looked like a Karate master as he also had a black belt around his waist keeping the shirt closed.

"**Alright, now that, that's sorted I'm going give you the full story of what happened and why 6 years ago when I 'attacked' Konoha." **The Kyuubi then went on to explain that he was in fact suppose to be Konoha's protector. He explained how the Yondaime with the help of Naruto's Mother made a deal with the Kyuubi to protect the Hidden Village if the need ever arose. On the night of the supposed 'attack' it turned out that a certain clan member had found out about the deal the Yondaime was making with the demon and didn't like the idea of having a demon anywhere near the village. The clan member then went on to use his Kekkei Genkai to send the Kyuubi into a blood lust rage and attack the village. **"And during the attack your mother gave birth to you and the Yondaime had the idea of sealing me in you. Which effectively stopped the attack and saved the village."**

"What happened to my mother?" Asked Naruto with a sullen look on his face probably already knowing the answer.

"**I'm afraid she died giving birth to you Kit. But since that night I made a promise to protect you and make sure you grew up right. To be honest I'm surprised you've made it this far without going mad from how you where treated" **Answered Kyuubi.

What happened next shocked Kyuubi slightly, because Naruto had gotten up and given Kyuubi a small hug and said, "Thank you, Kyu-sensei, for finally coming forward and saving me from going bad."

"**No problem Kit. NOW THEN! Take a seat and I'll begin the lessons. Naruto do you know what true strength is?"**

Taking a seat again, Naruto merely looked at Kyuubi, then started thinking. Eventually he looked back at Kyuubi and said, "Admitting to your mistakes?"

Kyuubi chuckled a bit and said, **"That is one aspect of it Kit. But I believe that true strength is the will to get back up after being knocked down. Being able to knock your opponent down is one thing but if your opponent keeps getting back up then there's no point, eventually you'll tire, which will allow your opponent to finish you off. There are some things that can help you with this will to get back up, one is someone you care for, two is having a goal you wish to achieve with all your heart and third and final is a nindo that you follow in your life. Seeing as you have very few you currently care for do you have a goal?"**

Again Naruto thought a while about this and finally says, "To be Hokage!" He said with a determination in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Kyuubi.

"**I see that's a pretty good goal to set for your self. But why do you want to be Hokage?" **Asked Kyuubi.

"I want to be acknowledged by the people of the village. No matter how bad they've treated me, I'm still technically a hero because I had you sealed in me to save them all. So I want to be recognized for what I really am!" Answered Naruto.

"**Again, good answer Naruto! But you should know your going to have to work hard for your dream, to be Hokage is to be the strongest shinobi in the village. You will have to endure many challenges to make yourself stronger physically and mentally and you'll have to beat a lot of opponents to show that physical and mental strength. So do you still wish to be Hokage?" **Kyuubi asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! For I also have a nindo that I will also follow to make myself stronger!" Answered Naruto.

"**Interesting and this nindo will be what exactly?" **Kyuubi asked, raising his eyebrow again. **_'This should be good.' _**He thought to himself.

"My nindo is that I never go back on my word! So I will one day become Hokage!" Naruto answered again with confidence.

_**'Damn this kid is just like his father. Something tells me this kid is gonna be great, with a little help from yours truly of course.' **_Thought Kyuubi. **"That is a good nindo, Naruto. Now the rest of what I wanted to do involves your training so open your eyes and get back to the real world. I'll instruct you from here."**

"Okay Kyu-sensei. See ya!" Naruto yelled before snapping back to reality.

* * *

_'Hey sensei? What gives, it felt like I was talking to you for a good few hours but it looks like only an hour has passed out here?' _Inquired Naruto.

_**'That's just a trick of the mind Kit. Time is an illusion that only occurs in the real world when in your mind, you could spend what feels like a day in your mind and only a few seconds might happen in the real world.' **_Kyuubi explained.

_'Oh! Okay, cool! Alright Kyu-sensei, what do I do?' _Asked Naruto in his head.

_**'First off lets see how much you got with your allowance from the Hokage.' **_Said Kyuubi.

As soon as Kyuubi said this Naruto grabbed the envelope which he had left in the kitchen. He ripped it open not expecting much. A little while after opening it Naruto finally asked the Kyuubi how much was there. _**'What you can't count that! There's enough there to get a good amount of food for a month. Obviously the Hokage expected you to buy some training equipment or something.' **_Kyuubi exclaimed.

_'Hey it's not my fault! I hate math! So what is it that you were thinking of getting with the money?'_ Naruto asked.

_**'Well you're gonna need to train your physical strength and stamina. I'll leave you to learn a few basics about chakra at the academy before I do anything about that with you. Now, there is good way to train your physical strength and stamina and that is by wearing weights so lets go have a look at what they've got at the ninja stores, I guess it would also be a good idea to get some more food as well. Ramen's cheap but not all that healthy, your also gonna need protein to build your muscles. Now then lets get going!' **_Exclaimed Kyuubi.

"Alright let's see what I can find!" Naruto also exclaimed.

* * *

As Naruto walked down the street he noticed that it was a little after noon from where the sun was, also thanks to a little help from Kyuubi as well. First things first he wanted to find some weights for his legs and arms. Eventually he came across a ninja equipment shop which had all sorts of weapons and other equipment but the one thing wanted caught his eye as he was about to leave the shop. There in a glass casing was a set of weights with removable plates which allowed a person to increase or decrease the weight as the person saw fit. So Naruto asked Kyuubi if they would do.

_**'Yeah, those will do it's got a good starting weight which will be fine for your age and the difference in weights will be good for when your ready to up the weight. Plus the blocks are large enough for me to alter them once your used to the max weight so I can make them heavier.'**_ Explained Kyuubi.

_'Great! Now where's the shopkeeper I gotta ask him for a set. Ah ha there he is!' _Naruto thought noticing the shop keeper at the other end of the store polishing a weapon. "Ohayo! Shopkeeper-san! Can I have a set of those wrist and ankle weights choudai!"

"Hai! Give me a moment to get a set from the back kiddo." said the shopkeeper in a tired voice. As he turned to look at his young customer before getting the weights Naruto noticed there was something about the old man's look that wasn't uncomfortable but it wasn't what he normally got from someone's look either.

After the old man got back from the behind the counter he handed the box to Naruto and asked, "Now why would someone so young want weights?"

"I'm starting at the Ninja Academy this Monday and I wanted to train myself." Answered Naruto.

"Your very committed for one so young, not many young ninja bother with this form of training because it's quite exhausting but the end result of the training is always worth it!" Said the old man.

"Good! 'Cause I wanna be the strongest ninja, I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto emphasized the last part causing the old mans eyes to widen seeing the boys strong resolve.

"That is good to hear kiddo. I wish you luck on your way to be Hokage, just remember where it all started and tell everyone about my shop . I like you kiddo I'll give you a 1/4 off the weight set that brings the price down to 1500Ryo! A bargain!" Said the old man.

_**'Your telling me! That is a good deal. To pay for the set give the old man three of those greenish notes they're each worth 500Ryo.'**_ Announced Kyuubi.

_'Thanks Kyu-sensei' _Naruto said as he took out three of the greenish notes like the Kyuubi told him. "Here you go Ojii-san!" As Naruto began walking out the old man shouted in a happy voice, "Don't forget to tell your classmates about this place and don't forget about it yourself either kiddo."

"Don't worry Ojii-san I'll be back if I need anything!" Naruto shouted as he walked onwards toward the markets to get some food.

"HEY OJII-SAN!" Yelled a feminine voice from behind the counter.

"Yes Tenten-chan, I can hear you I'm old not deaf." Replied the old man.

"Who was that? A customer or just a friend?" Asked Tenten.

"That was a customer. You'll probably see him in the academy on Monday he said he was starting there." Replied the old man.

"Oh! Okay! I'm gonna go home now then Ojii-san! I moved everything like you asked. Bye!" Said Tenten.

"Bye Tenten-chan." Yelled the old man as the kunoichi ran out the door for home.

* * *

It had been about half an hour since Naruto had gotten back from shopping for a few essentials, one of which was a small frog shaped purse, he couldn't keep using the envelopes to carry his money! He had just finished putting everything away when Kyuubi spoke up, _**'Hey Kit! You better get those weights on now so you can get used to them.'**_

_'Already on it!' _He replied pulling them out of the case and figuring out how they were supposed to be worn. Turns out they worked the same as sweatbands, he just had to slip them on his wrists and ankles and tighten the straps at either end to keep them from slipping off. The colour though in his opinion could be better, they were a tan skin colour which he thought was a bit boring. _'Hey Kyu-sensei, should I add more weight to these things? It's just, they feel kinda light.'_

_**'I guess me being sealed inside you affected you more than I thought! You currently have a quarter of the weights from the set on your body and that's supposed to be heavy for a genin!'**_ Chuckled Kyuubi. **_'I guess you better put a couple more plates in each limb.' _**Kyuubi paused while Naruto inserted the plates._** 'Better?'**_

_'Yeah they feel fairly heavy now.' _Replied Naruto.

_**'Good. Now, get some rest Kit. I'm gonna work you to the bone tomorrow.'**_ That said Naruto got in his bed. Marveling at how soft it was compared to the one at the orphanage, he quickly fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next day Naruto was awoken by the shout of Kyuubi in his mind. He didn't complain, it was better than the usual wake up call. The day went by quickly with all the workouts that Kyuubi had him do and he asked about the weapons training to which Kyuubi answered, _**'You can learn about that at the academy and train yourself from there it's pretty easy. Once you learn how to throw the kunai and shuriken properly it's just a matter working on your aim.' **_Naruto just agreed silently and went back to his workout.

* * *

Through the first week Naruto had learnt quite a lot from being at the academy, even if most of the teachers had ignored him when he tried to ask them questions. One of the things he was most proud of was the amount of chakra he found out he had. He found out when the teachers had taught them to gather chakra for the purpose of doing jutsus but as soon as the teacher told them to release the chakra, Naruto released the chakra through some of his tenketsu points unwittingly causing a wave of chakra which not only knocked over the students closest to him but apparently could be felt up to a half-mile radius from the school. Or so he heard from the ANBU who arrived shortly afterward to check what had happened. After the ANBU left, a teacher came over to Naruto and told him to be careful next time he tried that. That teacher was Iruka-sensei, the only teacher at the school Naruto felt like he could trust because he didn't look at him the same way all the others did.

On his first day a girl with her hair up in two buns had come up and said hi to him. She explained that she was the granddaughter of the old man at the ninja store where he got the weights and her name was Tenten but he could call her Tenten-chan cause she thought he was cute. Before she left for her class since she was a little older, she gave him a pat on the head and wished him luck on his first day. After she left he blushed a little, embarrassed with the attention she had given him and how she said he was cute.

There was one kid at the school he took an instant dislike to though. That kid was Sasuke Uchiha, it wasn't the fact that it was a member of Sasuke's clan that caused Kyuubi to attack that made him dislike Sasuke. He knew Sasuke wasn't responsible for that. What Naruto disliked about Sasuke was the fact that he was always so moody and he always thought he was better than everyone else. Sometimes he wished he got a chance to knock him off his high horse, little did he know he would get that chance in a few years.

Then halfway through the week Naruto managed to make a friend with another kid named Kiba who always had a puppy with him, called Akamaru. Eventually he also introduced himself to another couple of kids, a kid that always had a bag of potato chips called Chouji and a kid that looked like he had a pineapple for a head called Shikamaru. They would talk during break-time and lunch but every time he tried to talk to any of the other kids at the end of the day their parents would just drag them away with the same lame excuse, "Your mother will kill me if I don't get you home now so come on!" And Naruto would be left on his own.

Naruto asked the Kyuubi if he should try anything to change this and all the Kyuubi said was, **"Just wait Kit, once you become a ninja and save one of your friends, it'll just mean their parents will be more ashamed of themselves for shunning you."**

Thinking about this, Naruto quickly formed another nindo for himself and told Kyuubi, _'Hey Kyu-sensei I got another nindo!'_

_**'Which is?' **_Asked Kyuubi with interest.

_'I will always protect my friends!'_ Thought Naruto fiercely.

Kyuubi gave out a chuckle and said, _**'You know Kit your so much like your father it's unbelievable, almost.'**_

Naruto grinned at this and continued with his workout.

* * *

The next few years carried on like this, Naruto would be woken up in the morning thanks to Kyuubi. He would workout then go to the academy. At the academy he learned the bare minimum he needed to pass because of his teachers not bothering to teach him properly. At the end of the day he would go to one of the open training grounds near the academy and practice his aim with his kunai and shuriken, his aim steadily got better and he had to buy many new sets of kunai and shuriken from the same shop he got his weights at because they eventually got too dull. Sometimes he would see Tenten there and they would talk about weapons and school. After practicing with his weapons he would practice his Taijutsu until his knuckles were bleeding and his legs were sore from kicking the target so much, he did this because Kyuubi said it would make his knuckles and skin strong, eventually he also got some bandages to wrap his knuckles in because he was so tired of having to scrub the blood stains from his clothes and weights. Sometimes though he could swear it felt like someone was watching him when he was doing all this training but every time he looked around he couldn't see anyone.

Sometimes on his way home he would treat himself to some ramen at a place called Ichiraku's, much to the dismay of Kyuubi. Once at home if he had not already had a meal he would have instant ramen and something the Kyuubi suggested. Afterwards he would practice the katas shown to him by Kyuubi in his mind. His apartment had also changed quite a lot, he had gotten a couple of scrolls to hang on his walls. One read in kanji 'Never Give Up!', while the other read in kanji 'Will Of Fire!'. He also had some manga littering the floor and different clothing he had bought.

After the first year in the academy Kyuubi had him running up trees with chakra but he mastered this pretty quickly and moved on to water walking. He carried on with these practices until he could walk up a tree without much trouble and started to walk on water without a second thought. He had also increased his weights to the maximum amount half way through his third year, about a month before his ninth birthday. According to Kyuubi the maximium weight equaled around 500Kg thanks to the seals he had placed on them.

His birthday wasn't such a bad thing anymore either, he could easily get to his apartment to get away from the villagers. Not that the villagers tried to attack him anymore since they found out he was in the academy. They still liked to give him an evil stare though.

On his 9th birthday though Kyuubi did something he didn't normally do.


	3. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (wish I did though)

Update: Sorry I forgot to add a rule to the blood clone jutsu. Thanks Redblade for reminding me about that.

Edit: For some reason I put Whirlpool as Takigakure which is actually Waterfall country. Don't know how I made this mistake, but oh well it's been corrected. Thanks Elronn for pointing out my mistake.

Chapter 3 - Revelations

**Naruto's 9th Birthday;**

Naruto had just finished at the academy for the day and was on his way to the training grounds when Kyuubi spoke up, _**'Hey Kit! Forget about the training for today I got a present for you!'**_

_'A present? What it is Kyu-sensei?' _Asked Naruto thoroughly interested.

Kyuubi chuckled a bit, _**'I'm afraid we have a bit of a walk before I can give it to you Kit.'**_

_'Awww, man! Can I at least jump on rooftops to get there, at least then I can get a bit of training in and it should be a little faster.' _Whined Naruto.

Kyuubi just chuckled again and said, _**'Okay Kit but watch where you land! You're weighing in at over 500Kg with those weights now remember! I don't want you falling through a roof and almost dying on me!'**_

Naruto put on a mock pout, _'Oh come on Kyu-sensei! I'm tougher than that and you know it! Now then... which way?'_After about an hour jumping from roof to roof, being very careful to go for the sturdier rooftops, Naruto entered the forest and started jumping from branch to branch, again being careful and going for the strongest ones, even though most had a gap of easily 100ft, until he finally came to a small cliff face with a waterfall coming from the top and falling into small pool which lead to a small river.

_'This it Kyu-sensei?' _Asked Naruto, a little tired.

* * *

_**'Yep this is it Kit. Now this is just the first part, see that small, circular stone coming out of the cliff face?' **_Instructed Kyuubi. _**'I want you to get over there and channel some of my chakra, into that stone, through your hand.'**_

_'Wait a sec Kyu-sensei! How am I supposed to channel __your__ chakra?' _Asked Naruto slightly confused, while walking over to said stone.

_**'I'm going leak some of my chakra in to you chakra system. Don't worry Kit you'll know when it's in you system, it might be a little difficult to control it at first but you'll get it done.' **_Answered Kyuubi.

Naruto waited a while until he had a warm feeling coming from his stomach. He instantly started pulling Kyuubi's chakra into his hand, he even used some of his own chakra to help push it. Eventually he got all the chakra to his hand and pushed it into the stone. As soon as the chakra entered the stone, a seal appeared underneath Naruto's hand and the stone dragged itself into the cliff face. After the stone was completely inside the cliff face a loud rumbling came from Naruto's right, he looked over and what he saw made him think two words, _'Sneaky bastard!'_

_**'Language Kit!' **_Scorned Kyuubi.

_'English and Japanese what about you?'_ Naruto said jokingly, while he just grinned at his own joke.

The wall behind the waterfall had started to move forward, reveling a large entrance way. As Naruto walked over to the entrance the first thing he felt was warm air flowing out of the entrance. As soon as he entered, the door started to close behind him, seeing this Naruto panicked for a second but came to his senses when he realized that it was Kyuubi that brought him here so it was probably safe.

When the door finally closed Naruto was slightly surprised to find there was a light glow coming off the walls giving off enough light to see by. Curious about it he was going to ask Kyuubi, but his sensei, seeming to read his mind, explained before he could ask, _**'Me and the Yondaime built this place before he became Hokage, the two of us had actually been friends for quite some time and we needed someplace where we could train together and basically have fun. Eventually the Yondaime found this place and we set to work, I worked on the actual formation of this place, I carved out the tunnels with my chakra and placed some chakra in the walls, creating the glow you see and heating the place which is why it's warm in here. Your father worked on the entrance creating that seal you saw and security to make sure no one else could get in here. Currently the seal will only accept certain peoples chakra, mine, the Yondaime's and your mother's. That's why I had you channel my chakra.'**_

As Naruto walked through the cave he noticed that there were many rooms, some had doors keeping him from seeing inside them, others didn't have any doors just a door way allowing a full view of the things inside. Eventually Naruto came across a room with some sofas in it and a fairly large table to one side. He decided to go in and take a seat since he was still tired from the running and the difficulty of channeling Kyuubi's chakra.

_'So Kyu-sensei, what was up with the locked doors what's behind them?' _Asked Naruto his curiosity getting the better of him.

_**'Before I answer your question Kit I want to explain to you why I brought you here. You and I both know at the current rate your going at the academy your not going to pass the final exam and become a genin, mainly thanks to those so called 'teachers', so I've brought you here so you can better learn the history and laws of Konoha, you're going to need to know these things if you want to be a good Hokage. I also brought you here to teach you some more advanced defensive jutsu, if you were found practicing them, you'd probably be taken away by the ANBU thinking you to be a spy.'**_

_'Wait, why are you only gonna be teaching me defensive jutsu?' _Asked Naruto.

_**'I'm only teaching you defensive jutsu for now because I want you to be able to use these jutsu in the blink of an eye. Another reason for bringing you here is so you can receive the scrolls your mother and father left for you. They both wrote a short note for you before you were born and had me sealed in you. We're going to have to get back to the first door you came across if you want to read them.'**_Naruto had gone back to the first door he came across on his way through the caves. It turned out the door was unlocked and it led to a small room with a desk in the corner. There were two scrolls on the desk, one was sealed with the kanji for 'Mother' while the other was sealed with the kanji for 'Father'. Naruto looked at each scroll and finally decided to read the one with the 'Mother' seal. He opened the scroll and started reading,

**

* * *

**

_Dear Naruto,_

_While I'm writing this, Kyuubi is attacking the village. I'm writing this just in case the worst should happen and I die in the attack or while giving birth to you. You should know I love you very much, Naruto. I hope you've grown to be a strong person and a proficient shinobi._

_You should know that if I am dead, you are now the soul heir to the Uzumaki clan from Uzu no Kuni, The Whirlpool Country. I have left all the clans hidden jutsu and information on the Kekkei Genkai you might inherit from me in the compound you found this scroll in. I have asked your father to place time seals on some of the more advanced jutsu incase you try to advance too quickly. I have also left all the clans assets for you in a bank account in Konoha._

_Sorry for not being there to see you grow up my little Naruto, I hope you find happiness in your life, good luck Naruto._

_Your mother, Kushina Uzumaki._

A few silent tears fell from Naruto's eyes when he finished reading the letter. He knew at that moment this scroll would become one of his most precious possessions, not that he had many to begin with. Once he'd rolled the scroll back up and wiped his tears away he placed his mothers scroll in his pocket being sure to keep it in a safe place when he got home. He then reached for the other scroll, unraveled it and started reading once again,

_Hey Kiddo,_

_I'm writing this because in a few hours I'm going to die while sealing away Kyuubi in you, do not blame Kyuubi for my death Naruto, he is a good person. If you don't already know, I'm afraid your mother died while giving birth to you. She loved you very much Naruto and I hope you realize that._

_I've left all my knowledge of jutsu and seals in the compound you're now in. I have placed a time seal on some of them but with all the chakra you'll gain from having Kyuubi in you I doubt you'll have much trouble performing the jutsu where chakra is concerned. You should also know that you are now soul heir to the Namikaze clan, I've left all the knowledge of the clan and it's Kekkei Genkai with the jutsus I mentioned earlier although there are no time seals on those scrolls. I've also left you the deed to the clan compound and details of the clan bank account._

_Hope this helps Kiddo, I'm just sorry I couldn't be there to help you grow. With the seal I used on you though Kyuubi should be able to help you with training and stuff. Have a good life Kiddo, protect those you care for, find a woman you love, live your life and most importantly never give up. See ya 'round Naruto,_

_Your Father, Minato Namikaze, The Fourth Hokage of Konoha._

As soon as Naruto had read the final line of the message he froze. It took a moment for what he read to sink in, as soon as it did he had more silent tears cominh from his eyes. He handled the scroll from his father just as gently and with as much love as he had with his mother's scroll, keeping it in the same pocket as his mother's scroll being sure to remember to keep them somewhere safe later on. After returning to the living area he had found earlier he lay down on the largest sofa and started talking to Kyuubi.

_'Why didn't you tell me Kyu-sensei? Why didn't you bring me here sooner?' _Asked Naruto, sadness evident in his voice.

_**'Because I didn't want you getting a swelled head and acting like that Uchiha-baka. I wanted to make sure you were willing to work hard for your skills as a shinobi, I didn't want you thinking that everything came on a silver platter because of who your parents where. I also needed to know you were mature enough to handle all this.' **_Explained Kyuubi.

_'Does anyone else know about my father? Or what he and my mother left me?' _Asked Naruto, a little happier seeing how much faith Kyuubi had in him.

_**'The current Hokage, your father's sensei and one of your father's students knows you're the Yondaime's son but no one knows about what they left for you in this place.' **_Replied Kyuubi, noticing Naruto's lifting spirits.

_'So... you got any idea where they left the jutsu scrolls?' _Asked Naruto with his foxy grin.

_**'Don't you want more time to absorb this information Kit? I mean you just found out your father was the Yondaime and you finally know who your mother is!' **_Asked Kyuubi a little surprised at Naruto's actions.

_'You read the scroll Dad left me, he wanted me to live my life not mourn their deaths for the rest of it, he wanted me to keep going, he didn't want me to give up, my mom wanted me to be happy, and you know I'm happiest when I'm trying to get stronger so I can be Hokage and protect those I care for. One way of getting stronger is learning new jutsu, so lets find the scrolls they left me.' _Answered Naruto.

Kyuubi chuckled at this and told him, _**'Kit your father would be proud of you right now. I guess you're right, we should get started on your new training.'**_

Having said this Kyuubi then guided Naruto to a door with the Kanji for 'vault' on the front. _'Kyu-sensei are you sure about this? It's just this door doesn't seem all that secure.' _Asked Naruto sarcastically.

_**'Kit, this just leads to the vault door.' **_Answered Kyuubi, scoffing at Naruto.

Naruto just shook his head at this and opened the door only to see a long tunnel with a downward slope going deep underground. _'This is gonna be a long trip isn't it?' _Whined Naruto.

_**'Kit just shut up and start wal... actually start running, a bit more training for you.' **_Chuckled Kyuubi.

Naruto sighed and started running. On his way down there were several twists and turns and from what he could figure he was already down around 200ft. When he got around the 500ft mark, he finally arrived in a large cavern with a boulder on the far wall and a parchment with a seal on it. He walked over to the boulder when Kyuubi spoke up, _**'The door to the vault works exactly the same as the entrance to the compound, I'm going to leak some more of my chakra into your system so you can open it. Once we're inside you can add your chakra signature to mine and your mother's and father's. That way you can open it with your own chakra whenever you want.'**_

_'Nice!'_ Thought Naruto as he forced Kyuubi's chakra into the parchment, a larger seal appeared behind it and the boulder started moving to one side. Naruto jumped, back not expecting the boulder to move that quickly. Once the boulder had completely moved away from it's original spot, Naruto noticed the small round opening about 2 feet up from the floor.

_'That's just weird. One big door for a small doorway.' _Thought Naruto as he walked to the opening. As soon as he reached the doorway and looked inside all he could do was stare, open mouthed in amazement at the number of scrolls in the large cavern.

_**'Okay stop drooling Kit and lets have a look what jutsu they left for you.' **_Ordered Kyuubi, snapping Naruto out of his dazed state.

Naruto walked in and looked around the cavern. The walls were covered in pigeon holes with a scroll in each one and underneath the hole was a small label naming the jutsu in the scroll, there were also a few larger scrolls stacked next to a large table with a chair placed next to it on the far wall, he guessed those contained the Kekkei Genkai he might have and the signature jutsus of his clans. Next to the table there was also a large pigeon hole holding another large scroll with the simple label 'Contract' underneath it. Obviously this led to Naruto's next question, _'Kyu-sensei, what's that?'_

_**'That Kit, is a summoning contract for my clan. You can sign it if you want but I suggest you wait until your at least a genin.' **_Answered Kyuubi.

_'Guess I should wait then.'_ Thought Naruto. After this short conversation Naruto started looking through the jutsus on the walls.

_**'Don't you want to check out your family jutsus Kit? I mean you should have an easy time performing them seeing as they were made for your families bloodlines.' **_Inquired Kyuubi.

_'Now where's the fun in that?' _Asked Naruto. _'Besides if I started using jutsu from dad's clan, people would start getting suspicious. Plus you wanted my to concentrate on defensive jutsus, so we might find something useful to start learning in these scrolls.'_ Explained Naruto.

Kyuubi just marveled at Naruto's thinking and thought, _**'He's getting smart!' **_It was that moment that Naruto had passed over a section of scrolls about bunshin (clones if you didn't know). Kyuubi noticed this and called him to stop.

_'What is it Kyu-sensei?'_ Asked Naruto.

_**'Go back a couple of columns, there! 7th scroll up, the Ketsueki Bunshin no Jutsu**_(Blood Clone Technique)_**. Kit I think I just found a better way of training you. Lets get your chakra signature placed on the lock to the vault and get pack up to the first level and head for one of the training rooms.' **_Said the Kyuubi in an excited voice he tried to hide.

Naruto quickly forced some of his chakra into a panel next to the doorway on his way out as Kyuubi had told him. He then proceeded to lock the vault, ran back up to the first level and found the training grounds Kyuubi had described to him. It was another large cavern except it looked like it had been made naturally. The cavern was practically circular in shape. There were stalagmites and stalactites decorating one area, a waterfall coming out a hole high up in the wall and falling into a small pool, a small sand pit next to the pool, another hole high up in the wall directly above the doorway with a strong wind blowing out of it, on another part of the wall was a large area of rust and, finally, in the middle of the cavern was a clearing about 300ft in diameter. The cavern had obviously been altered slightly for such a large open area to be there and the wind tunnel above the doorway. Naruto just looked in amazement at such a gathering of elements, you had all the materials in this one training area to perform almost any jutsu.

Naruto finally got over his amazement, walked to center of the clearing and started reading the scroll he had taken. After reading he had found out the Ketsueki Bunshin no Jutsu used some of his own blood to make a real body for his clone, except it was fueled by chakra not food, because of this the clone could stay in existence until the user dispelled the technique or ran out of chakra, where the clone would turn back into blood but because of the nature of the jutsu, only one blood clone can be created at a time. Naruto thought about what he had read and figured it would require a lot of chakra to make a blood clone.

_'From the sounds of things, this jutsu is gonna need a lot of chakra you think I have enough to use it Kyu-sensei?' _Asked Naruto, still not understanding how this could help his training.

_**'Don't worry Kit. Just use the chakra I'm leaking into your system.' **_Answered Kyuubi, already leaking his chakra.

Naruto set down the scroll and looked at it once more making sure he remembered all the seals. He stood up, took out a kunai and cut across both his palms. He then started going through all the seals trying to finish before his wounds were healed by Kyuubi. When he finished the seals, ending on the rat seal, blood was being drawn from the cuts on his palms. After a few moments he started feeling a little dizzy from blood loss and was relieved to see that his blood was no longer being drawn out. His blood was now a small blob on the floor, after a second of wobbling it started to take shape, shooting up and sprouting arms. When the blood finally stopped shifting and changed it's colour to be a perfect clone, all Naruto could do at what he saw was shout, "WHAT THE HELL!"

* * *

* * *


	4. Serious Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (wish I did though)

Sorry for the last cliffie but I'm guessing most of you knew what happened already.

In answer to the reviews I got for the last chapter;

I've figured out the blood limits I just need your opinion on wether he should have both or just one.

* * *

Chapter 4 – Serious Training

* * *

**Last Time;**

Naruto set down the scroll and looked at it once more making sure he remembered all the seals. He stood up, took out a kunai and cut across both his palms. He then started going through all the seals trying to finish before his wounds were healed by Kyuubi. When he finished the seals, ending on the rat seal, blood was being drawn from the cuts on his palms. After a few moments he started feeling a little dizzy from blood loss and was relieved to see that his blood was no longer being drawn out. His blood was now a small blob on the floor, after a second of wobbling it started to take shape, shooting up and sprouting arms. When the blood finally stopped shifting and changed it's colour to be a perfect clone, all Naruto could do at what he saw was shout, "WHAT THE HELL!"

**This Chapter;**

Naruto stared at the blood clone in front of him. The clone looked nothing like him, it's hair wasn't blonde but it was spiky, it's clothes were nothing like his and it was well above Naruto's height. In fact the clone in front of him right now looked like Kyuubi in Naruto's subconscious, orange-red hair longer than Naruto's but in a similar style. Red eyes with slit pupils. A shirt with a flame motif coming from the hem, the shirt being kept closed with a black belt around his waist and finally, red pants coming down to his ankles with nothing on his feet. The blood clone even had the bracelets on each wrist and a collar around the neck. To be modest, Naruto was freaked out.

_**'So? What...' **_Kyuubi started in Naruto's mind.** "-do you think of this Kit?" **Kyuubi finished in his new body.

Naruto was so surprised he simply started spouting nonsense and then promptly fainted. When he came to, he found himself in a large king-sized bed. He looked around the room and saw Kyuubi leaning against the wall, looking like he was asleep. Getting over the shock of seeing him he decided to wake him. "Uh... Kyu-Sensei?"

Kyuubi opened his eyes and looked over at Naruto in the bed. "**Your finally awake then Kit? I knew you'd be surprised but... fainting, come on Kit?"**

"I just don't get it Kyu-sensei. How could you be out here, I thought you said if you'd try to break the seal and get out, that both of us would die?" Asked Naruto.

Kyuubi started to explain, "**That's true but I haven't broken the seal. I am still very much bound to you Kit, as you can see from my shackles." **Referring to the collar and bracelets. **"Right now I'm just transferring my consciousness into this clone made with your blood. Don't worry it's my chakra that's fueling the clone not yours so I should be able to sustain this clone indefinitely, although using some of your chakra to sustain this clone would be a good way to increase your chakra reserves." **Said Kyuubi, musing out loud.

"So this was what you meant by finding a better way of training me? Now you can actually help my train in the real world!" Exclaimed Naruto.

"**Yup! That's right Kit! This way I can teach you jutsus and other things much easier!" **Explained Kyuubi.

"Alright! Finally I can learn things properly! Hey wait a second how long was I out?" Asked Naruto a little worried.

"**A little over an hour now Kit. Don't worry Kit I would have woken you if you stayed unconscious too long. Either way you better get back to your apartment you have to be ready for the academy tomorrow. Don't worry I'll stay here and I still have my mental link with you so if you need me just call. I'll probably be in suspended animation when your not here so I can save chakra. You also need to insert your chakra signature on the way out so you can open the entrance, it works the same as the vault, the panel should be to the right of the entrance. Oh and Kit? Even though I'm going to help you get better I want you to keep your grades just low enough not to raise suspicion but high enough to pass okay?" **Asked Kyuubi.

"What!? But why Kyu-sensei?" Asked Naruto.

"**Because Kit, other shinobi will always look at your progress while in the academy during your first few years as a ninja. When they see that you only just passed when becoming a genin this will most probably make them underestimate you and give you a trump card." **Explained Kyuubi.

Naruto just nodded at this and started towards the door of the bedroom. The last time he saw of Kyuubi, he was sitting down on the bed Indian style. He closed the door, instantly he knew where he was in the compound and headed to the exit. As Kyuubi had told him the panel was to the right of the entrance, he forced some of his chakra into it and the door opened much the same way it did when he first came in.

When Naruto stepped outside it was already dark. Looking at his watch he cursed, it was already past 11pm, he was going to have to be fast if he wanted to get enough sleep tonight. He sighed, _'This is gonna be exhausting but hey at least I'll definitely sleep tonight.' _He thought with a bit of glee. He started running at about triple the speed he had been running on the way to the compound. _'I'm gonna have to find a way to get back and forth between my apartment and the compound faster. Otherwise I'm either gonna die from exhaustion or I'm not gonna have enough time at the compound to learn much of anything.' _He thought as he was jumping from tree to tree.

Eventually he got back to the apartment by midnight. Once he got home though he went into his bedroom and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

* * *

For the next few days Naruto would go to the open training area near the academy as usual but he would then go to Ichiraku's to get something to eat before going to the compound. Because of the trip Naruto would order more than usual though, much to the joy of Teuchi and a young Ayame. When the weekend finally came he went to the open training grounds for bit more target practice and taijutsu practice. After that he went to Ichiraku's again and ordered a really big meal of 10 Miso ramen, 10 Beef ramen and 10 Chicken ramen. Once he finished his meal he went to the supermarket for some food. The second time he had gone to the compound he found out there was a small kitchen with basic cooking areas and storage areas. Seeing as it was the weekend he decided to spend his weekend in the compound training, if he planned on staying that long he would need to take some food with him.

Once he had all he needed he headed for the compound to get some serious training done. Over the weekend though he mainly studied in the library. He would study many subjects law, history even a little on basic seal making. He would come out of the library to get food and would sometimes enter the vault and went through the scrolls. It was here that he eventually found a seal his father had created and he instantly found a use for it. It was a teleportation seal which would allow a person to be instantaneously transported from one seal to the other. All a person had to do was write the two locations in a certain area of the seal and place them in those two areas. Then when the person wanted to teleport all they had to do was put some chakra in the seal, the amount of chakra needed to use the seal would differ depending on the distance between the two seals. He set to work copying out the seal onto two different scrolls, using the seal equipment his father had left him. He would leave one out in the compound wherever he was when he left and would keep the other in his apartment when he went back on Sunday.

After figuring the transport problem out, he went back to his usual routine. After the academy was over he would carry on his target practice, even though he really didn't need it anymore thanks to the tips he got from Kyuubi, he still kept up the practice, as 'practice makes perfect', Iruka-sensei would always tell the class this when he was in charge of them. He also enjoyed the silence he got when he was training out there, even if the feeling of somebody watching him never went away. He could even swear he heard a gasp when he took his jacket and shirt off one summer afternoon because he was too hot in them.

While he was at the compound, he would study, work on any new jutsus Kyuubi gave him until he could perform the jutsu in his sleep. For some reason Kyuubi had him learn each and every one of the different clone jutsus in the vault. By far, his favourite bunshin was the Kage Bunshin, for one thing it didn't require any substance to create it and any knowledge his clones gained while in existence was instantly transferred to him when they were dispelled. He liked to use them when studying because he could study up to ten times the usual amount of scrolls he read when in the library which is a big reason why he knew as much as he did. Although he didn't like to use them when learning new jutsu unless they were used to attack him or defend against him when using the jutsu.

When he asked Kyuubi why he had to learn all the bunshin, he said that clones where useful as shields or when performing Kawarimi no Jutsu, since they would be the same shape and size as him, it would be easier to substitute with them and escape attack. Even though he performs the other clone jutsus pretty easily because they require more chakra to create, he still could not get the hang of the normal Bunshin no Jutsu. Kyuubi just figured this was because he had a large amount of chakra and the Bunshin no Jutsu required so little he would always overload the clones making them useless. Out of all the clone jutsus his favorite was the shadow clones, this was mainly due to the fact they didn't require any medium to create them so he could make them any time any where. He also learned a few other jutsu.

* * *

While at the compound he did manage to read the scrolls left for him about his two clans. Sufficed to say he was impressed with the two Kekkei Genkai but he decided not to try them out until he made genin.

* * *

Eventually though the weights he wore became light and he needed to make them heavier so he looked through the seals his father had made and eventually found one that made things heavier but from the look of it he would have to put the seal on his body as a tattoo, at first he didn't want to use the seal but then he read that the seal would turn invisible and become passive, meaning it would stay on once Naruto used some chakra to activate it. He would also be able to increase his weight merely by using the ox hand seal and pouring more chakra into the seal, each level the seal went up by his body weight would be increased by 100Kg. If he needed to he could also deactivate the seal completely, letting him go full speed and full strength. He would be able to use this as another trump card in a fight. So with the help of Kyuubi he had the seal tattooed onto his back. When he first activated the seal, after taking off his weights and storing them in a closet at his apartment, he instantly had to increase the level of the seal to level 6. He got some strange looks when he went in to the academy the next day, his friends of course didn't know they were weights, except Shikamaru, he figured out that they were weights the first day he saw Naruto, they just thought they were sweatbands he liked to wear. He explained by just saying he felt like a change.

* * *

One thing that did surprise Naruto was when, on his 11th birthday, he walked out his front door ready to go to the academy in the orange jumpsuit he'd taken a liking to. When he almost stepped on a package that was left on his front door step. At first he was little wary, thinking it was some sort of trick sent by the villagers, when he couldn't sense any chakra in the package he thought it would be safe to at least pick it up. Once he got a better look at it he saw it was actually addressed to him but the sender had left out their name. This fact alone struck the Hokage off the list of people that might have sent him a gift, he had always sent things through the ANBU or signed the package to show he had sent it and it couldn't be Iruka because he just usually took him out for ramen or got him new kunai or shuriken. Naruto eventually just shrugged and opened the pack only to find a pair of goggles. He grinned and instantly put them on his forehead, just as he would with a hitai-ite, it felt good to wear them so he decided to keep them on. Obviously he didn't notice the blush that a certain Hyuuga in his class had seeing him wearing the goggles.

* * *

By his final year at the academy he was very adept at using many jutsu, most of them defensive though. He also had very good knowledge of Konoha's history and laws, he also knew the rules of the being a ninja off by heart. Although he obviously didn't show this in his classes, he made it look like he knew only enough to pass. Even though he still had problems with the Bunshin no Jutsu. His weight seal had been very useful even if he had to increase the level every couple of weeks, although he was sure he had broken through level 50 of the seal long ago, which places his current weight somewhere above 5000Kg, he wasn't sure what the exact level was but he kept going. He had even started using his own chakra to sustain the blood clone Kyuubi's conscious now resided in. Through all his training he had become very strong, very fast and his already large chakra capacity had grown to be even larger, he could now sustain the blood clone through a whole weekend, even being able to perform a few simple jutsu at the same time.

On his 12th birthday though he had been resting in the bedroom he now used whenever he stayed at the compound on the weekends. It was the same place Kyuubi had taken him a few years back when he fainted from shock at seeing Kyuubi in the blood clone. He was about to drift off into a power nap when Kyuubi burst in.

"**Get up Kit! I've a new jutsu for you! Actually three to be exact!"** Naruto nearly jumped out of bed when he heard Kyuubi say this, all his tiredness gone from his eyes.

"What are we waiting for then Kyu-sensei? Let's get to the jutsu training area!" Naruto had taken the liberty of naming some of the caverns since they didn't already have name. The one with all the elements gathered in it was called the jutsu training area, while another cavern which had some target posts in it and a larger clearing for sparring. He just called it the taijutsu training area, not very imaginative but straight to the point.

When they got to the training area Kyuubi had to explain a few things about these new jutsus before he was allowed to learn them.

"**I created these jutsu specifically for you to learn. They will be like a blood limit if you will, no one will be able to copy them because you require my chakra to have been in your system at one point or another to use them. You will be able to use your chakra to use the jutsu but they will be much stronger if my chakra is used, you may even be able to use the jutsu without the hand seals if you use my chakra." **Naruto looked at Kyuubi with a twinkle in his eyes like he always did when learning a new jutsu. Kyuubi continued, **"The first jutsu I'm going to teach you is a pupil jutsu, it's called Kitsune Boushi no Jutsu (Fox Eye Jutsu), which will give you the power of my eyes. My eyes won't allow you to copy any jutsu like the Sharingan or give you a near 360 degree view of your surroundings like the Byakugan. What it will give you is the ability to see the chakra a ninja molds when using a jutsu, it will also tell you what kind of element the jutsu is, or when they are expelling chakra of any type to increase their abilities. It will also allow you to see fast moving objects with relative ease. Now on to the hand seals." **Kyuubi went on to do three hand seals and then finished with some new seal Naruto had never seen before. The jutsu of course had no effect since he already had the fox eyes active.

"Uh... Kyu-sensei? I've never seen that last hand seal before, what was it?" Asked Naruto, genuinely confused.

"**Glad you asked Naruto! That seal was one I created for the soul purpose of activating these jutsus, I call it the fox seal."** Naruto nodded at this and started the jutsu. When he got to the new fox seal it felt strange using it. It was basically a variation of the tiger seal except the index and middle fingers were held horizontal to the ground and his thumbs were vertical, pointing upward.

When he made the fox seal his eyes started to itch for a few seconds as his irises turned red and his pupils became slits. When the jutsu was done he saw something interesting about his body. Chakra was literally flowing out of him like the mist off of dry ice, he could see where his tenketsu were because that's where most of the chakra was coming out of. He turned to Kyuubi, "What's up with my tenketsu Kyu-sensei? They're not keeping my chakra in my body."

"**I was hoping you would notice that. I think this is reason for your abnormal chakra reserves and your incredible stamina. Because your body has always been leaking chakra your body has had to work to replace that chakra. It could also be because of your Kekkei Genkai on your mothers side, yes I know about it. I'll teach you how to use it when you make genin." **Explained Kyuubi. **"Now back to the eye jutsu, watch as I perform a fire jutsu."**

Kyuubi sped through a set of seals and as he was about to launch the attack Naruto saw his chakra turn into fire. Kyuubi repeated the practice but this time with a lightning jutsu and again as he was about to launch his attack Naruto saw the chakra turn into lightning.

"**So do you understand now what the eyes do?" **Naruto nodded and deactivated the eyes. **"Now this next one is pretty multi purpose. You can use it for attacking, defending or simply trapping your opponent." **Again he ran through a set of hand seals and ended on fox. This time though the jutsu did have an effect, nine tails shot from the lower part of Kyuubi's back, each tail was orange with a white tip.

"**This is called Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu (Fox Tail Jutsu). Now then, these tails are a form of henge but they are reinforced with chakra. You can control these tails with your mind, you can use them to stab or slash your opponent since the white tips can be sharpened or dulled to your liking. They can extend to 30 feet and more if you train with them. They are also able to block almost any attack as long as your fast enough to block the attack. Now you try it."** Naruto nodded, went through the seals and felt the tails shoot from his lower back.

"Whoa... That feels weird!" He said as he had one of the tails come over his shoulder so he could get a better look at it. "Pretty fluffy, they'd probably be good when camping out to keep me warm." He then swished the tails round and struck one of the stalactites which promptly fell, "Cool!" He then used another tail to grab a stalactite and haul himself in the air. "I've got a lot of ideas for these things!" He said lowering himself to the floor.

"**You done having fun?"** Kyuubi asked. "Yup!" Naruto said as he jumped over.

"**Right then this third one is made purely for attacking. It's called the Kitsune Tsume no Jutsu (Fox Claw Jutsu). Instead of explaining I'll just show you." **Kyuubi once again ran through several hand seals and finished on the fox seal. This time , what happened scared Naruto a bit. Kyuubi's hands were now covered with red chakra that had taken the shape of claws. **"This jutsu can be done with your own chakra as well but the claws will be blue and not as powerful. This Jutsu is the most difficult to perform, in the last two you just had to activate the jutsu and add chakra if needed but you have to keep a constant flow of chakra into the jutsu to keep the claws shape and potentness. It is constantly releasing chakra so any strike you land on your opponent will do damage, think of it as an inaccurate form of Jyuuken. If you manage to land a cut on your opponent but it is not deep enough to kill or incapacitate him or her, then the chakra coming from the claws will act as a poison and bring them down from the inside by interfering with their chakra systems and eventually render them unconscious or dead if you were to use my chakra in the jutsu." **Kyuubi explained motioning for Naruto to try once he had deactivated the jutsu. Naruto tried the jutsu as he had the other two but once on the fox seal his hands were surrounded by a large set of chakra claws which proceeded to flare up then die out. Naruto looked at Kyuubi for answers.

"**To put it simply Kit you** **used too much chakra to start the jutsu and then you didn't release enough chakra to maintain the jutsu. You have to get the proportions of chakra you use just right to maintain the jutsu. Keep trying Kit you'll get it right eventually!" **Kyuubi shouted over to an excited looking Naruto as he sat down to watch the orange-clad ninja practice this new jutsu and make sure he didn't kill himself from chakra exhaustion, _**'The Kit can be very stubborn and impatient when it comes to new jutsu. Just like you Kushina, you would never stop until you could do it right or collapse trying.' **_Kyuubi let a small grin cross his face as he thought of his late friend and mother to his student.

After five straight hours of practicing and some encouraging shouts from Kyuubi. Naruto had finally gotten the jutsu down enough to hold it for up to an hour while striking at the walls, which were now covered in claw marks.

"How's... that... Kyu-... sensei?" Asked Naruto gasping for breath from exhaustion. Kyuubi simply nodded and Naruto promptly fell into unconsciousness. Kyuubi sighed and thought, _**'You're just lucky it's a Friday Kit.' **_As he picked up the unconscious Naruto and took him to the bedroom he always used whenever staying over.

Kyuubi placed Naruto in the bed and said quietly, **"Good work Kit. You've excelled further than I thought you would. You'll pass the genin test without the use of the regular bunshin while keeping the cover of an underachiever. You'll find a way, I know you can come up with something, you've surprised me even, sometimes with your alternative way of thinking."**

* * *

The genin exams at the academy were a few weeks away now. Naruto already knew which jutsu he had to perform to pass the exam, while he had no problem with the Kawarimi no Jutsu, he was dreading having to do the Bunshin no Jutsu. He still couldn't draw the small amount needed and kept on overloading the bunshin making them useless. He had thought about summoning more than just a couple of bunshin, when he tried this it did feel easier to create the bunshin but he couldn't make them look perfectly the same unless he created fifty or more bunshin and he didn't want lose his cover as an underachiever. He was still thinking about this when a thought struck him, _'They don't have to see __all__ the bunshins I create, they just have to see two to five to let me pass!'_ He quickly formulated a plan on how to get a passing grade on his bunshins.

He was in a better mood for most of the week. That was until Iruka had decided on holding sparring sessions at the end of the day. By some cruel twist of fate he had somehow gotten paired off with the Uchiha-baka. Not only that but by the time it was their turn to spar, everyone else had finished their sparring and had decided to watch them.

* * *

Author's Note:  
Now I need your help guys. I'm gonna let the guys who are reading this to decide which Kekkei Genkai Naruto has. Once the votes are in I'll tell you what both of them are.

So, should Naruto;

A) Have both Kekkei Genkai

B) Have the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai

C) Have the Namikaze Kekkei Genkai  
or  
D) Have neither Kekkei Genkai

Please post your answer in the review section, I don't care if you answer anonymously or not as long as you give me your votes, the story can't really continue unless I know this so you better answer quickly.


	5. Fall of the Uchiha

Disclaimer: You know it by now but might as well say it, I don't own Naruto.

Results on voting so far:

Both KG's - 14

Uzumaki KG - 1

Namikaze KG- 0

Neither KG - 0

Well that was won in a land slide, I'll explain both KG's at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 5 – Fall of the Uchiha

* * *

Before he got in the sparring ring he was given a nod of confidence from Shikamaru and a pat on the back with a hearty , "Kick his ASS!" From Kiba. Chouji was sitting to one side eating his chips. He turned to them and gave them a nod and a grin

He turned back to Sasuke with a serious look on his face. Sasuke just smirked at this and said, "You may as well give up now Dobe. I'm not gonna go easy on you! Having the pineapple-head-nerd and mutt-boy backing your corner isn't gonna help you one little bit." Sasuke's fan-girls started giggling all around them.

That was all the motivation Naruto needed. _'Nobody gets away with insulting my friends!' _Naruto thought fiercely, getting into the academy taijutsu stance. He would never use the taijutsu Kyuubi taught him against Sasuke, partly because he wanted to keep his cover, partly because wanted to embarrass Sasuke by only using basic taijutsu.

Sasuke slid down into an advanced taijutsu stance. A moment passed until Sasuke charged at Naruto jabbing at his face. Naruto on the other hand had not moved an inch and just blocked everything thrown at him with his left arm. Eventually Naruto started using both arms to block and showed Sasuke's weak defenses to everyone. Kiba shouted, "Stop showing off and just finish him Naruto!"

Naruto was all too happy to oblige. He blocked another hit aimed at his head but instead of knocking Sasuke's arm away he grabbed it. He pulled Sasuke in close and landed a swift right knee to Sasuke's gut, Naruto then let go of Sasuke as he staggered backwards holding his stomach. After a second of heavy breathing from the Uchiha he stood up straight and charged Naruto again. Naruto still in his academy taijutsu stance simply brushed off the attack and punched Sasuke in the gut again, not letting up he quickly spinned on his right heel and landed a mule kick right in Sasuke's chest. The last attack from Naruto had caused the Uchiha prodigy to fly a good few feet, out of the sparring ring and into a tree, meaning that Naruto had won the spar.

Naruto walked past Sasuke's fan-girls, looking the Uchiha right in the eye, he snarled, "Never insult my friends! Ya got that Uchiha-BAKA!" Emphasizing the word baka.

Having made his point Naruto turned to leave when he felt a surge of chakra behind him, he then heard Sasuke say "Katon". As soon as Naruto heard that word he sped through a set of hand seals faster than the other students could blink and before the giant fireball could hit him or any of the other students a wall of earth erupted from the ground directly behind him blocking the fire ball as he said quietly, "Doton: Daichi Hei no Jutsu."(Earth Wall)

Once Sasuke's fireball died down he looked at the wall in front of him and his jaw dropped, _'When the hell did the Dobe tearn THAT!'_ He thought to himself. He didn't have much time to think because Naruto then dropped the wall and ran for him. When he got to Sasuke he grabbed the scruff of his shirt, lifted him in the air and started shouting.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING TEME!? YOU COULD'VE SERIOUSLY HURT EVERYONE HERE WITH THAT STUNT!"

"Put him down Naruto!" Came a firm but understanding voice from behind him. He looked around to see Iruka-sensei glaring at Sasuke, having finally gotten over the shock of seeing Naruto's fight. Naruto lowered Sasuke gently onto the ground in front of him then turned around and addressed Iruka.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei. I'm willing to accept my punishment for my outburst towards Sasuke-san." He said all this while bowing to Iruka.

_'That's weird Naruto runs away whenever he pulls a prank but now he's owing up to his mistake! Guess the pranks are just for some attention and he realizes what he did could mean expulsion if he had gone farther. He even used the -san suffix for Sasuke after all he did.' _Iruka thought while softening his look on Naruto. "It's okay Naruto I can excuse your action towards Sasuke since you saved everyone from some nasty burns. I want to talk to you later about that jutsu you used though, meet me at Ichiraku's in an hour." Naruto resisted the urge to smile at Iruka's words. "Sasuke though , I want you to come with me to see the Hokage about this. I could expel you for that stunt just now but I'll let the Hokage choose your punishment. Come with me now! As for the rest of you, you're excused for the rest of the day." At that he started towards the Hokage tower, Sasuke in tow. Sasuke of course didn't leave without first giving Naruto a quick glare.

Once Iruka had gone round the corner and out of sight everything went to hell. Sasuke's fan-girls started shouting and hurling abuse at Naruto, things like, "That was MEAN of you Naruto!" and "You were lucky that time, my Sasuke-kun is way better than YOU!" The Ino and Sakura girls were the ones at the front of the group glaring at him. Although none of them dared try an attack him after they had seen what he could do. After a few seconds of this he just turned to his friends and decided to spend some time with them seeing as the academy finished early, before walking away completely though he turned back to them and said, "I can't believe you guys are still fawning over that Teme! If I hadn't used that jutsu at the last second, it would've been me and most of you girls that would've been burnt the worst. Something tells me that shows you how much he thinks of you girls! Think about that the next time you try and get his attention!"

The fan-girls went quiet after hearing this and simply walked away in their separate directions, some looked like they were deep in thought. Seeing that his words had, had the desired effect he turned back to his friends. When he turned around though he had a small shock to see that Hinata was there bowing in front of him. "Th-Thank you, N-N-Naruto-k-kun for b-blocking the f-fireball." She said while hiding the blush on her face with the bow.

"Uh... No problem Hinata. From where you were standing though I don't think you would have been burnt that much but hey at least there's one girl appreciating my help. I'm glad to see you're not part of those stupid fan-girls either. You know I think you may be the only girl that I actually respect, for the simple fact that you're not going after that Uchiha-baka. With that fact alone it also means you have more brains than everyone of those fan-girls!" Naruto said with a wide grin on his face.

Hinata had listened intently on what Naruto had said and had turned several shades of red by the time he had finished his speech. She couldn't bear look up incase Naruto saw her face from all the blushing she had done, she quickly stood up, turned around and started walking home while saying, "ThankyouNaruto-kunbutImustgohomenow!" quickly over her shoulder. After walking several steps she broke into a run.

"Huh? Weird girl but at least she isn't always fawning over Sasuke." Naruto said to no one in particular. He then carried on walking to his friends. "So guys want to go do something until I have to go see Iruka-sensei?" He asked them all while wearing his usual grin and scratching the back of his head.

"Sure! How 'bout we have a race?" Suggested Kiba.

"Meh. To troublesome." Said Shikamaru in a bored voice. "I'd rather just stay here and watch the clouds."

"Sounds good to me." Chouji said putting in his two cents and lying next to Shikamaru.

"Same here." Said Naruto dropping down next to two of his friends.

"Damn you guys are lazy!" Exclaimed Kiba. Grudgingly lying next to Naruto, Akamaru jumping onto his stomach.

A fair amount of time passed in total silence until Shikamaru broke it. "So what was up with the Hyuuga girl Naruto? I saw you talking to her."

"Oh? She just wanted to thank me for stopping the Teme's fireball. Guess there's finally a girl with enough sense to not fawn over him!" Explained Naruto.

"Really? What did you say to her?" Asked Shikamaru still staring at the clouds almost letting himself grin from what he knew.

"Huh? Well I just said I respected her because she didn't fawn over him and she had more brains than all those fan-girls. Why da'ya ask?" Questioned Naruto looking over at Shikamaru confused.

"Because from the look of her face when she left it looked like she was really embarrassed from what you said! I think she may be sweet on you!" Exclaimed Shikamaru grinning mischievously.

"WHAT!! No way! She's a Hyuuga. There's no way she could have something for me!" Exclaimed Naruto sitting up quickly and staring at Shikamaru.

"Heh-heh. Think what you want Naruto. Oh! You better get going by the way, otherwise your gonna be late for your meeting with Iruka-sensei." Shikamaru said turning his eyes back skywards to watch the clouds again.

"Damn! You're right! See you guys tomorrow!" At that Naruto took off toward Ichiraku's.

Kiba looked up to watch him leave muttering, "Damn! I wanted to ask him about that Doton jutsu he used. Ah well some other time." He lay back down.

* * *

Naruto was walking down the street towards Ichiraku's, hands in his pockets and deep in thought. _'How could Hinata have feelings for me? I mean she's cute and all... wait CUTE! Where'd that come from? AAArgh! I'm gonna have to think about this later.'_ He quickly brought his thoughts back to the real world and noticed that he had already sat down and Ayame was asking for his order. "I'll have just one Miso Ramen for now Ayame-nee-chan, thanks!" Ayame turned around and started on his order. By the time his order was done Iruka had arrived.

"Naruto the reason I wanted to talk to you was to find out where you learned that jutsu you used today. If it's a secret I won't press the matter further but I would like to know if your deliberately holding back in the academy." Said Iruka with an understanding look in his eye.

Naruto turned to Iruka without touching the ramen. "I'm afraid it is a secret Iruka-sensei but you're right, I am holding back at the academy."

"Why though Naruto! From what I saw today you would have better grades than Sasuke if you wouldn't hold back." Asked Iruka, a slightly angry look in his eye, since finding out his favourite student was holding back.

"Because Iruka-sensei, grades aren't everything. Besides could you imagine someone's surprise when they found out I was stronger than my grades at the academy would lead them to believe? I'm holding back so people underestimate me that gives me an advantage. Plus I don't wanna turn into Sasuke, thinking I'm better than everyone because my grades are the best."Answered Naruto, feeling guilty over the deceit he had used on his sensei and friend.

Iruka, noticing his guilt, smiled and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry Naruto. I forgive your lying to me. I'm glad to hear your actually looking to future battles. To be honest with you though I'm just glad I won't have to fail you in the genin exams! Could I get Miso Ramen please? Thanks!"

"What are talking about Iruka-sensei?" Asked Naruto, slightly confused.

"If you can perform that Doton jutsu I saw you use today I'm sure you can find a way to pass the test next week!" Replied Iruka smiling while grabbing some chopstick's for him and Naruto.

Naruto gave off his foxy grin to his sensei, then turned to his ramen. He clapped his hands together like Iruka and they both said, "ITADAKIMASU!" Before they both dug in to their ramen.

* * *

Naruto was walking back to the apartment. He had stayed with Iruka and talked about some other things while also eating lots of ramen of course. By the time he had finally decided to get home it had started getting dark. _'Guess I should skip training at the compound tonight. It's getting to late.'_

_**'Oooooh no you don't Kit! As soon as you get over to the apartment I want you to get your ass over here with that transport seal! I saw what you did today!' **_Kyuubi barked in Naruto's mind.

Narut started sweating profusely and stammering back a reply, _'Ah! Uh-um. Kyu-sensei! I-I was going to tell you about today! H-honest!'_

_**'I bet.' **_Replied Kyuubi.

Naruto started running to the apartment, once there he went straight for the transport seal. Once he arrived at the compound he noticed Kyuubi was already next to the seal with his arms crossed. **"Well? I'll excuse the use of the Doton jutsu since it was life and death. Also, you're lucky that your Iruka-sensei is very understanding. I was also glad to see that you trust him enough to tell him you're deliberately holding back and he has faith in you! But you were foolish to show your skill against the Uchiha in the first place!"**

"I was defending my friends Kyu-sensei! I couldn't stand by and let Sasuke-teme insult them!" Replied Naruto.

Kyuubi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, **"Goddamn. I guess I can't blame you Kit, I would have probably done the same. Still you could've handled the situation better. I have to admit though I enjoyed the look on the Uchiha's face when you lifted him into the air!" **Kyuubi laughed a bit at this as did Naruto. **"Alright since I would have done the same I'll go easy on you, only 500 laps around the taijutsu training area and I want you to do 500 sit-ups and press-ups. If you still have enough time you can go to the hot springs near the kitchen after your done."**

"Thanks Kyu-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards the afore mentioned training area.

* * *

Naruto had gotten back to the apartment with a slight bit of pain in his body from the punishment Kyuubi gave him. By the time he finished his shower and got to bed though all the pain was gone. The last thing to go through his mind though was, _' I hope Hinata passes the genin exams...' _He then fell into a dreamless sleep.

Through out the last few days before the exam everything went as usual. Naruto kept up his training and his facade in the academy even though everyone that had seen the fight between him and Sasuke knew he was holding back in terms of skill and strength, his friends didn't treat him any differently because of this. There were a few differences though, Sasuke would glare daggers at Naruto every time he thought the knucklehead wasn't looking. Sasukle also had a lot less fan-girls following him around now, even the Ino girl had stopped going after him. Naruto, though, was sure he had seen a few girls following him and he could have sworn he heard a group talking about him but once he got close enough to hear more thay suddenly went quiet. After a while he decided to ignore it and carry on.

* * *

It was the day before the exams and Naruto was jumping from rooftop to rooftop trying to get away from the ANBU chasing him for his latest prank. Obviously he could easily hide from them or just create some bunshin of some sort to distract them. But of course he thought, _'Where's the fun in that?'. _That and the fact he had raised the level of his weight seal again that morning so he needed some way of getting used to it without having to just run laps.

Eventually though he was caught, only after deciding to let them of course. He had once again painted the Hokage faces, this time making them look like kabuki actors. Once again his only punishment was washing all the paint off the monument. It didn't take him long to clean up, since he used a water soluble paint it was pretty easy getting it all off. The fact that it was Iruka watching him again only made it easier since he allowed him to use a Suiton jutsu to clean most of the paint off.

Afterwards they went to Ichiraku's and had a few bowls of ramen together. Before they both left for home though Iruka spoke up, "Naruto you do have a plan for the exam tomorrow don't you?"

"Yes. I do Iruka-sensei. If you want to find out what it is though you're gonna have to wait until tomorrow and if you could Iruka-sensei. Will you make it so I get to go last for the test?" Asked Naruto with a glint in his eye.

"I'll see what I can do Naruto. Now get home and get some rest, I don't want you showing up late for the academy." Answered Iruka.

At that Naruto started running home while shouting, "Thanks sensei! See ya tomorrow!", over his shoulder.

* * *

The next day Naruto made sure to wake up early, get washed and dressed, get breakfast from Ichiraku's and get to the academy before it even opened. He waited outside the gates for an hour while Shikamaru and the guys arrived and talked to them for a while, during this time he also realized that Sasuke was watching them from a tree with a swing on it across the road from the academy entrance. He wondered if he should confront the Uchiha about it but voted against it on the grounds it would be too much trouble.

Once the gates to the academy opened he went inside with everyone. Once in he went straight for the list that said when he would be tested, he was happy to see Iruka had managed to make his test last.

* * *

For most of the day he carried on talking to his friends and noticing the glances he got from some of the kunoichi in training. Everyone who went into the exam room came out with their own hitai-ite. Thing is he knew that most of them would be back in the academy in a few days if they didn't pass the exam the jounin instructor gave them. He knew all about the second exams and a lot of the techniques that were used to find out if the three man cell would have good teamwork.

Eventually his turn finally came, he walked into the room and was happy to see it was small enough for him to carry out his plan easily. He turned to the two instructors across the room and a grin spread across his face seeing that Iruka was one of them. After a second of getting warmed up he signalled he was ready to begin the exam.

* * *

Well this is the end of the chapter, Guess I should give you the stats for the Kekkei Genkai now. Please tell me what you think of them in the reviews.

Edit: Thanks to a review by the DragonBard I realised that the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai is something that can be learnt by any ninja in way so I've added some extra info to turn it into a proper Kekkei Genkai.

Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai  
Name: Rasen Kikou (Spiral Armor)

Ability: Because the tenketsu always release chakra in people with this Kekkei Genkai a layer of chakra surrounds the body and if trained the chakra can be made to spin and block attacks at where ever it is needed. This Kekkei Genkai also makes the chakra denser making it more useful in defense, it also means the chakra will dull an attack when not spinning so it is still useful. The armor requires a conscious influence to be used to the fullest extent which means unless the person is fast enough to react an attack may hit the unmoving wall of chakra if it fast enough. The armor though can become a form of attack by pushing the chakra out and spinning it making in effect a chakra drill which may tear through almost anything.

Namikazi Kekkei Genkai  
Name: Kaiseki Boushi (Analysis Eye)

Ability: Like the Sharingan, except it copies seals instead of jutsu. There are three parts to the Kekkei Gekai;

1)When copying a seal the users pupils will flash red. From that point onward the seal is stored in the mind and can be found whenever it is needed.

2)The Eye can be used to analyze a seal as the name suggests. When analysing a seal each symbol is given it's meaning as to why it's there and how it helps. Using this ability a way to make the seal more effective can be found or a way to completely destroy the seal can be found depending what the KG weilder wants. When this ability is used the iris of the eye will have parts pointing into the pupil at the top, bottom and to either side creating a crosshair patter. Veins will also be drawn around the iris at right angles (they're supposed to look like the lines on a circuit board). While analyzing a seal the iris is known to turn clockwise and vice versa. (kinda like a robotic eye)

3)A temporary copy of any seal that has been seen can be printed on to any surface the weilder wishes. All that has to be done is: The user must think of the seal he/she wishes to use, collect chakra to their hand while thinking of the seal and their hand should glow with the symbols of the seal moving over their hand. the user then merely places their hand on what they wish to print the seal on, the seal can be made permanent by going over the symbols with the proper tools. The amount of chakra needed to print the seal depends on how complex the seal is and how long the user wishes the seal to last. A new seal thought up by the KG weilder cannot be created using this ability unless first copyed out and then copyed again using the first ability of the KG.


	6. First Real Fight

Disclaimer: You know it by now but might as well say it, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 6 – First Real Fight

* * *

**Last Time:**

Eventually his turn finally came, he walked into the room and was happy to see it was small enough for him to carry out his plan easily. He turned to the two instructors across the room and a grin spread across his face seeing that Iruka was one of them. After a second of getting warmed up he signalled he was ready to begin the exam.

**This Chapter:**

"Alright Naruto. First off I want you to perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu. You can use anything in the room to substitute yourself." Announced Iruka from behind the desk.

Naruto looked around the room quickly, then turned back to both instructors. He went through the hand seals fairly slow and finally yelled, "Kawarimi no Jutsu!" He promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Once the smoke cleared it showed a very surprised looking instructor and where he had been sitting a very smug looking Naruto. "Not bad. I guess I can pass the kawarimi." Mused Naruto acting like an instructor.

Iruka just gaped at Naruto sitting next to him. _'How much has he been holding back! A kawarimi like that is ranked as a high chuunin level jutsu!' _Thought Iruka quickly closing his mouth. "Alright Naruto very impressive please go back to your place for the second test." Iruka said while motioning for the other instructor to come sit back down and then writing something on his clipboard.

Naruto got up and went back to standing in the middle of the room. "Okay the second jutsu I want to see is the Bunshin no Jutsu. I need you to create 2-5 bunshin for me." As soon as Naruto heard this he started concentrating trying to control where the bunshin would appear. He went through the seals after a few minutes and produced 5 perfect clones of himself in the room. "Excellent Naruto! You pass the test, here's your hitai-ite." Iruka said while picking up the last hitai-ite from the table and walking around to Naruto to give it to him.

"Yes! I knew I could make it work!" Yelled Naruto while taking the hitai-ite and jumping in the air. When he finally calmed down he spoke to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei? Could I talk to you alone for a second?" Iruka understood what he wanted to do. He turned to the other instructor and signalled him to leave the room. Once the other instructor left Naruto spoke again but in a lower volume and he still had not dispelled the clones. "If you wanna find out how I managed the Bunshin no Jutsu, Iruka-sensei. Just look out the window!"

Iruka did just as Naruto suggested and looked outside. What he saw surprised him, to put it simply. In the training grounds outside the academy window and hiding in some of the trees around the academy building were upward to around 100 Naruto's, all of them either just standing or trying to hide. Iruka started to ask questions but was then drawn back to the sight before he could finish the question, the sheer number of clones astounded him. After a full 5 minutes turning to Naruto and then to the sight outside, Naruto finally decided to dispel the clones once all of them were gone Iruka finally managed to calm down and talk straight but before he said anything he just turned to Naruto and gave off a huge smile. "So I'm guessing you've been practicing on where the bunshin appear when you summon them haven't you? That's why you took a few minutes before performing the jutsu."

"Ya got it in one sensei!" Answered Naruto with a huge grin.

"I won't even ask about the number of bunshin you summoned. Either way good work Naruto! Now c'mon I gotta give instructions to everyone about what happens next." Explained Iruka while leading him out of the exam room.

* * *

By the time Naruto and Iruka arrived at the classroom Naruto had lowered the goggles so they were now around his neck and had tied his hitai-ite around his head now adorning where his goggles used to be. He grinned at the guys and took a seat next to Kiba, who was giving him a thumbs up.

When everyone went quiet Iruka started his speech about how they should always work hard and never stop practicing even though they had become genin now. Eventually he got to the part about what they had to do now. "Tomorrow morning you are to come back here and find out which teams you are going to be in. You will then be picked up by your new jounin instructors and they will be in charge of you from there on. Alright your dismissed!"

As soon as the last word left Iruka's mouth everyone started filing out and going home to tell their families about their success. Naruto of course simply said his good byes to the guys and started towards Ichiraku's for some celebratory ramen. Once he got there he was given a hearty, "CONGRATULATIONS!" From both Ayame and Teuchi and to his delight was given a free first bowl of ramen of his choosing. Obviously he went with the biggest bowl with the most toppings, the Ichiraku Supreme Ramen. Even after the first bowl he managed to pack a few more bowls in until be his 4th bowl Kyuubi spoke up. _**'Hey Kit, get back here! I got something for you for passing the genin exam.' **_Naruto mentally nodded at this and had a fifth bowl before finally paying for it and heading to the apartment.

* * *

When he got to the compound Kyuubi told him to head for the bedroom he used. When he got there the first thing he noticed were the clothes on the bed. He especially noticed the gauntlets/forearm guards laid on either side of the jacket.

"**Now that you made genin I don't want you wearing that jumpsuit anymore. Don't complain it's for your own good, the suit is practically screaming _'Hit me! I'm an easily visible target!'_ Now try on these clothes they used to be your fathers so they should fit you. Once your done changing meet me in the jutsu training area, we'll start working to see if you have either Kekkei Genkai. Although something tells me you have your mother's Kekkei Genkai, I'm not sure about your father's." **Having said what he wanted to say Kyuubi left for the training area.

Naruto took off his jumpsuit so he was wearing only his boxers, goggles and hitai-ite. He pulled the pants on first they were slightly shorter than his usual pants except they were black with an orange stripe going down the outer leg, unlike his old pants they didn't require a belt to hold up as there was elastic in the waist band and around the ends of the legs meaning they wouldn't catch on anything. Even though a belt wasn't needed to hold the pants up there were still loops to hold a belt in place. Once he had them on he grabbed the two kunai holsters and strapped them to both thighs, he then grabbed a belt which had another two utility pouches on them and a few special pouches for holding scrolls and seal making equipment. The belt fit loosely on him, which made the pouches drop slightly, since he had long since burned the baby fat off his stomach and had a well toned six-pack. He then grabbed a sleeveless steel mesh shirt and pulled it on, he didn't really like it at first because it didn't cover him up much. He grabbed a set of straps with kunai holsters on it and figured out they were to be worn underneath the jacket so he put it on and made sure to tighten the straps and close the buckle that went over his chest. When he got to the jacket he was fairly happy because it had the red swirl, although it was a slightly darker red, he loved on the back, it was roughly the same as Shikamaru's except the sleeves had been ripped off. It was black like the pants and made of leather, the inside though was lined with a white cotton fabric.

When he had the clothes on he looked in the mirror to right of the bed. _'Not bad I guess.' _He thought, while looking at his shoulders and biceps. He was muscular but also lean, the muscles didn't look out of place on him thanks to this. He turned back around and pulled on a pair of ninja sandals exactly like his old ones except they were black. He then took the gauntlets, the underside was padded with the same white cotton as the jacket except they weren't completely blank. There were seals on the underside but there was something strange about them it took Naruto a few minutes but he figured it out. The seal had been flipped over which meant that whatever was sealed in it appeared above the metal plate side of the gauntlet. He wondered what it could be but just slapped them on instead he had already taken too long, Kyuubi was probably getting impatient.

* * *

When Naruto got to the jutsu training area Kyuubi was sitting in the clearing with the scrolls on the Kekkei Genkai to either side of him and a few smaller scrolls in front of him. He looked up at Naruto and smiled, **"You look like your father now, Kit and a true ninja! Something tells me you noticed the seals on the bottom of the gauntlets. Before you ask just try unlocking the seal."**

Naruto looked at Kyuubi, surprised he could read him so easily. He did as Kyuubi said and unlocked the seal on his right gauntlet and there was a puff of smoke. To Naruto's surprise there was now a blade about a foot and a half long now curving along the top of his arm. "Whoa! Cool!" Was all he managed to say he then sealed the blade back in the gauntlets.** "It's the same with the other before you even try the left one!"**

Naruto frowned and pouted at him mockingly. **"Don't give me that face Kit! We're here to find out if you have those Kekkei Genkai your mother and father had, not to check out your new clothes. Now then from what I've noticed with my eyes and you've already seen yourself, your Tenketsu are always releasing a steady flow of chakra wether your trying to release it or not, I've also noticed that you're chakra is a little denser it's not as translucent as other chakra I've seen. This means you already have your mothers Kekkei Genkai, it's just a matter of harnessing it. As you've already read in the scroll you have to use these hand seals to make the chakra surround your body instead of roll off it."** Kyuubi unrolled the Uzumaki clan scroll at this point.

"**Once you've used these clan hand seals you can manipulate the chakra to spin and block attacks or you can push that chakra out and make it an attack, for now just use the hand seals and we'll see what happens." **Naruto nodded to Kyuubi and looked over the hand seals. They were all different to the twelve he had learned in the academy, some didn't even require both hands. After memorizing each one in sequence he went through them slowly, there were twenty in total. When he completed them all he suddenly felt full of chakra and his skin felt itchy.

"**THAT'S IT KIT! Your Tenketsu are narrowing, there's less chakra coming out and the chakra that is coming out is sticking to your body! Alright Kit activate the Kitsune Boushi no Jutsu, so you can see for yourself!" **Naruto did as Kyuubi suggested and went through the seals. When he activated the fox eyes what he saw excited and shocked him. Just a few centimeters above his skin was a layer of his chakra, it wasn't falling off him like it did the last time he activated the eyes, it was like a second skin.

"**You're going to be really glad I made the Kitsune Boushi no Jutsu for you Kit!" **Exclaimed Kyuubi.

"Why's that Kyu-sensei?" Asked Naruto looking up from his new second skin, tilting his head to one side.

"**Because this way it'll be easier for you to learn to control your Rasen Kikou (Spiral Armor), the Kekkei Genkai you inherited from your mother. Using the eyes, you can see the chakra that's covering your body, this will make it easier to control it and master the Kekkei Genkai. Now I'm going to throw a light punch to your chest try and spin the chakra to block it." **Kyuubi said while getting up and walking over to Naruto. He waited a second for Naruto to get ready and threw his punch.

Naruto was surprised to say the least, he had managed to spin the chakra at the last minute but it wasn't nearly enough to block the attack. When Kyuubi's punch connected he had at least expected to fall on his ass but all he felt was a light tap. **"You're lucky Kit, the spin and the dense chakra was enough to slow down my attack. I suggest you carry on practising with some sort of clones for now. I'm going to prepare for the awakening of the Namikazi Kekkei Genkai ****IF**** you have it."**

As Kyuubi had suggested, Naruto summoned about thirty shadow clones and had all of them punch him one at a time while he stopped and restarted spinning his chakra skin. Every time he restarted the spin it felt easier to start and speed up. After a couple of hours Naruto could block multiple hits on different parts of his body from his shadow clones. Eventually he even asked Kyuubi to hit him again with more force and was, to Kyuubi's surprise, able to block it easily.

"**Seeing as you're so confident with your defending, let's try your attacking with the chakra. All you've got to do is force more chakra out of the point your attacking with while spinning your chakra. It should do a large amount of damage to your opponent." **Once this was said Naruto went back to practicing with his shadow clones. He had them attack him and instead of just spinning the chakra he also forced a lot of chakra out. What he saw thanks to the fox eye jutsu, he liked it, a lot. The first time he tried it he found it difficult to keep the chakra spinning but it got easier. Every time a clone hit him it instantly poofed out of existence with a satisfying **POP**. Eventually he got bored of just forcing chakra out though and tried shaping it more, he soon got to the point of making a ball of chakra covering his fist instead of acting like a second skin. He also made the chakra spin lots of different ways instead of just the one way and condensed it more until he new it was visible to human eyes, he knew because he deactivated the fox eyes to check it every now and then. He tried punching a stalagmite with the finished product and was happy to see it blew up the stone spike. Of course this didn't go unnoticed by Kyuubi, when he saw Naruto form the ball and slam it into the stalagmite though he had one thought go through his head, **_'Son of a-! Either he just thought that up or he's been looking through too many offensive jutsu scrolls and found his fathers Rasengan.'_**

"**Hey Kit! What did you just do there?" **Asked Kyuubi, his voice full of surprise.

Naruto turned round and saw Kyuubi staring at him wide eyed. He thought he was in trouble at first but then saw that it was shock that was in Kyuubi's eyes. "Well I got bored of just forcing chakra out so I decided to play around a bit with shaping the chakra and condensing it. A ball was the easiest shape to make and it was easy to make around my fist. I wanted to see what kind of damage I could do with it and that's how this happened." Said Naruto, motioning to the pieces of rock strewn around the floor. "I was gonna try to just make a block of condensed chakra next that would just be a hard and heavy hitter. Thing is it's really easy to make stuff out of chakra with the fox eye jutsu you gave me 'cause I can see the chakra take shape without having to condense it. That ball I just made had chakra spinning around in it so I think that's what made the rock blow up. I think a block of condensed chakra would probably just smash it instead of make it blow up. I also want to try and push out some chakra and flatten it, then sharpen it, making some kind of chakra sword or blade coming out of my hand and..." Naruto carried on like this for a few minutes while making gestures with his hands of how he would attack using these different shapes and densities of chakra. All Kyuubi could do was smile at Naruto's imagination.

_**'He's already trying to make it different to the usual Kekkei Genkai by using jutsu he alone possesses. This kid is going to go far.' **_Just then Kyuubi heard something in the forest outside the compound with his sensitive hearing. Kyuubi interrupted Naruto's train of thought with a, **"SSH Kit! There's something going on outside in the forest. Sounds like three people and they're fighting about something. We better take a look Kit!"**

Kyuubi guided Naruto to the entrance and opened the door. Thankfully the waterfall covered the noise of the opening door, which meant unless you were standing right next to the door you would never hear it open. When they got out of the compound they noticed it was already dark. _**"Kit! Over there! By the two largest trees to your right!" **_Whispered Kyuubi to Naruto, while they were sliding along the wall, getting out from behind the waterfall.

Naruto looked over to where Kyuubi had told him. Thanks to the fox eyes, which were still active, he could see fairly clearly in the darkness. He could clearly see three figures, one on the floor being held down by another while the third was talking to the one being held down. Kyuubi signalled to be quiet because they were going to get closer to see what was happening.

They took to the tree branches and jumped silently closer, using the mental link to talk if the need arose. When Kyuubi stopped on a branch almost directly above where the figures were standing Naruto could feel Kyuubi's rage through the mental link. He started wondering what was wrong that was until he landed right next to him and saw the three clearer. Standing up was Mizuki, a chunin instructor Naruto had seen in the academy, on his back was a couple of large fumma shuriken and a large scroll the same size as the clan scrolls from the compound. Naruto didn't particularly like him since he had always ignored Naruto during any lessons he was teaching. Naruto couldn't tell who the one holding the third person was because he couldn't see the persons face. The third person on the floor though , he could see the persons hair and he instantly knew who it was on the floor. Naruto now understood Kyuubi's anger and shared it, on the floor was Iruka, the only instructor at the academy to respect and have faith in Naruto, Kyuubi's Kit.

Before Kyuubi could do anything Naruto jumped down and knocked out the ninja holding Iruka in a blind rage. He then turned to Mizuki, "Well speak of the devil, or should I say demon! HAH! I was just wondering how Iruka could have believed in a demon gaki like you! You know what he said? He said it was because you aren't the demon, that you're just a child that grew up parentless because of the demon, just like him, now that's a laugh! I have to say I was surprised he didn't kill you the first day he met you! You know why? Because it was you who killed his parents, DEMON! And now I'm going to do something he didn't do and something the village should have done twelve years ago, namely kill you!" Mizuki said as he detached one of the fumma shuriken from his back. "I'm going to have to kill Iruka after you of course, somebody just can't steal the Hokage's scroll of jutsu and leave a witness." Mizuki threw the shuriken at Naruto upon saying this. Mizuki of course didn't know that Naruto could just block the shuriken with his newly mastered Rasen Kikou, sadly neither did Iruka.

Just before the shuriken hit. To everyone's surprise Iruka had put himself between the large shuriken and Naruto, blocking the shuriken. Naruto looked in horror at the pained look on Iruka's face and caught him as he fell, "Iruka-sensei! You didn't have to do that! The shuriken-"

"Yes I did have to do that Naruto." Iruka broke in. "I don't blame you Naruto for my parents death. I know you are merely the jailer not the demon. I've seen that, I saw the first day I met you. It was in your eyes, you were sad, lonely and lacked the love a mother and father gave. It was the exact same for me when my parents were killed by the Kyuubi all those years ago!" Tears were streaming down Iruka's face now. "I don't care what the villagers think of you! You will be Hokage and the villagers will look up to you! Now RUN! Get away and find somewhere to hide so you can survive and realize your dream!" Iruka passed out a few seconds after saying this.

Naruto looked at the motionless body of his sensei, the closest thing he probably had to a father and something in him snapped. "How can I run? If I run the villagers will never look up to me, I'll be looked upon as a coward who left his Sensei to die in the middle of a fight." He said to no one in particular. "Mizuki! You will pay for your treason to Konoha and your treachery towards your fellow shinobi. I have estimated the sentence of such crimes to be DEATH!" Naruto looked up. He had now tapped into Kyuubi's chakra for he had activated the Kitsune Tsume no Jutsu without the hand seals and the claws were red. Mizuki looked in horror at what he saw for it wasn't until that moment that he saw Naruto's red eyes and his fear only increased from the appearance of the chakra made claws. Naruto then continued to make earth clones, water clones and shadow clones and issued one single command "ATTACK!"

* * *

All hell broke loose at that moment as Mizuki tried to block the attacks of the clones some had the same glowing claws as the real Naruto. Even though he manged to defend himself, just about, he was just too outnumbered to keep it up. Eventually he was hit by a particularly strong kick to his back and was jumped on by the clones in his defnseless state, he was further kicked, clawed, punched and even had Naruto's new Kekkei Genkai attack used on him. It was this moment that Kyuubi decided to step in he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a solemn look. Naruto knew exactly what Kyuubi was trying to tell him and he calmed, instantly dispelling the clones with large splashes and pops and crumbling as they all returned to their original raw materials. After the smoke cleared it revealed a very bloody, bruised, battered and very much alive Mizuki.

"**It is not your place to judge him Kit. If you killed him now you would only be proving him right in that you're a monster but your better than that. Leave his sentencing to the Hokage, now let's send a flare for the ANBU to find you guys I'm going to go back to the compound I don't want you to be any more trouble. I'll watch what happens through the mental link. See ya later Kit!" **At that Kyuubi ran back to the compound and established the mental link so he could watch over Naruto.

Naruto sat down next to Iruka sensei and quickly went through some hand seals, he sent a flare up from his hand and ANBU arrived within a few minutes to find him holding Iruka and crying silent tears. When he saw them he instantly asked them to take care of Iruka. Asking them to use any healing jutsu they knew on him to stem the flow of blood from the gaping wound in his back.

* * *

That night Naruto stayed in the Hokage's office after the ANBU had escorted him there to be questioned. He lied, obviously, to cover up the fact that he was being trained by Kyuubi. He told the Hokage that he had been jumping around the village rooftops because he was happy about making genin and couldn't sleep. How he had seen Mizuki and the other Nin take Iruka from his home and drag him to the forest to frame him for the theft of the scroll. And finally how he had jumped in to try and save Iruka only to be saved by him and then take revenge for his fallen Sensei by using his Kekkei Genkai which he only found out about that night during the fight. Leaving out all the clones and activating his fox based jutsu for obvious reasons.

The Hokage believed every word and immediately sent Mizuki and his partner in crime to be incarcerated until further notice. He then informed Naruto that Iruka would be okay. That Iruka just needed a bit of medical jutsu and a blood replenishment pill and he would be back in the academy in the morning to work again. Naruto brightened up at this piece of information and thanked the Hokage as he dismissed Naruto.

* * *

Leaving the Hokage Tower Naruto noticed that the sun was already rising. He decided to go to Ichiraku's and see what he could get for breakfast. When he got there he was happy to see that they just opened up for the day. "What! Naruto-kun? What are you doing here so early? Anyway I'm afraid I haven't even started on the broth yet so I don't have any ramen." Explained Teuchi.

Naruto looked up at the old man with a grin and said, "That's okay Oji-san I'll just have some o-hagi and some green tea. Onegai!"

Teuchi looked at Naruto with a kindly smile and said, "Coming up Kiddo." He turned around and started to walk into the back while shouting, "Hey Ayame! Get some o-hagi and green tea made for our number one customer!"

A few minutes later Ayame walked out with a tray full of o-hagi and proped it in front of Naruto. _'Wow what happened to Naruto! He usually wears that jumpsuit of his. Guess he thought it wasn't good to wear if he was going to be a ninja but, wow! A body like that! I shouldn't complain and none of the girls at the academy aren't going to complain either. I wish he could be just a few years older.' _"Arigatou Ayame-chan!" He said in a cheerful voice and started munching down on the food.

"Your here early Naruto-kun! I know! You were probably too excited at becoming a genin to sleep last night and probably stayed up all night didn't you!" Naruto just nodded at this not wanting to worry her with the truth. "I knew it! Your so full of energy all the time I'm surprised if you can sleep at all! I'll be right back with you green tea. Kay!" She left with her usual cute grin.

_'Man, I'm glad I found this ramen place back when I started the academy. Not only do they have great food but they don't fear or hate me here either and it's nice to have a girl look at me with a smile instead of just hit me and tell me to bug off!' _Naruto thought as he waited for Ayame to get back with the green tea. A few minutes later and she came back and placed the cup next to the tray. Naruto finished the o-hagi he was eating and drank some of the tea.

He just stayed there for a half hour talking to Ayame and enjoying his breakfast. Eventually he looked at his watch and decided it was time to go. He grabbed the last o-hagi and finished off the tea. He thanked Ayame and Teuchi, paid for the food and started walking toward the academy.

* * *

When he got there, he found the gates already open early and walked straight for his class while he finished his breakfast. When he got there he sat down and waited for everyone else. The next person to get there was Sasuke which he had already guessed would come in early. Sasuke looked at Naruto wide eyed at first surprised to see him wearing anything other than his orange jumpsuit and actually early to class. He then just went to sit down in his usual spot by the window. About half an hour after that he saw Hinata walk in the back door and take her usual seat in the corner. After that some of Sasuke's remaining fan-girls arrived and argued over who would sit next to him, they didn't even look at Naruto as they came in.

After that another group of girls walked in, they saw him and all of sudden they were fawning over him like Sasuke's fan-girls were for him. At the front of this group was the Ino girl that used to fawn over Sasuke until the fireball incident. At first he just sat there blushing while they were grabbing his shoulders and biceps feeling how firm they were and squealing with delight. After a while they started arguing who got to sit with him, it was at this time that he decided to sneak away and sat up at the top, all the way at the other end of where Hinata was sitting. Seeing him closer, of course she noticed his new clothes and how the mesh shirt showed his toned upper body and the jacket showed off his muscular arms. She of course kept getting drawn to his open jacket, seeing his chest and stomach. After a few seconds of staring she quickly turned away as she had a small nosebleed and a very deep red blush.

After a while Kiba and the guys walked in and noticed that Naruto was up at the back and called him to come back to the middle. His new fan-girls noticed this and immediately rushed to him at the back of the classroom and restarted the initial attack all over again. Naruto made a mental note to get Kiba back for that later. While Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru stared in shock at Naruto's new found popularity. They later noticed his new get up and figured out why the girls went crazy for him, that and he saved a lot of them from Sasuke's fireball earlier that month. Thankfully for Naruto, Iruka decided to walk in at that very moment and after getting over the initial shock of seeing Naruto's new fan-club and his new ninja uniform called for everyone to sit down. Naruto managed to get stuck with Ino and another girl sitting either side to him happily.

* * *

Naruto had never thought of getting a girlfriend because he was always so busy training at the compound. Sure he thought some of the girls were cute but he never asked any of them out. In fact he didn't want to have a girlfriend until he was at least chunin, then he figured he could spend more time with her because he could choose his missions more freely.

* * *

Iruka shouted, "Alright! I'm now going to sort you guys out into your three man teams and assign you your team number. Once I'm done you will sit down with your new teammates and wait for your jounin instructor to pick you up. Now then... Team one!-"

* * *

**Kyuubi: Hey Author-san?**

**Me: Yes, Kyuubi?**

**Kyuubi: How come I'm not the father figure for Naruto in this fanfic? I mean I taught him most of everything he knows!**

**Me: Yes but from the way I described you, you look more like Naruto's brother. Iruka deserves to be Naruto's father figure any way, since he was first grown up to show him any kind of respect and trying to mentor him. So are you happy with being called Naruto's brother for now?**

**Kyuubi: I guess so.**

**Naruto: Yay! Can I call you Kyu-nii-san or Kyuubi-nii-san now?**

**Kyuubi: Not yet Kit. I'm** **still your sensei after all.**

**Naruto: AWWW!**

**Author: See you guys in the next chapter! (Waves Goodbye)**


	7. Familiar Jounin

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Naruto.

I'm not really sure what the pairings are gonna be yet. Rest assured though there will be NaruHina

Chapter 7 – A Familiar Jounin

**Last time:**

Iruka shouted, "Alright! I'm now going to sort you guys out into your three man teams and assign you your team number. Once I'm done you will sit down with your new teammates and wait for your jounin instructor to pick you up. Now then... Team one!-"

**This Chapter:**

Iruka carried on like this for a few minutes. Naruto didn't care much for finding out the rest of the teams, so he just zoned out and tried to ignore all his new fan-girls looking at him. When Iruka finally called out his name and he snapped back to reality, "-Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. You will make up Team 7."

At the moment of hearing this Naruto contemplated committing seppuku right then and there with a kunai, _'Can't hurt that much can it?'_ Dreading the thought of having to be in the same team as the squealer and the stuck up. Sakura was inwardly jumping for joy because she was on the same team as Sasuke, _'Alright I'm with Sasuke! He's bound to ask me out now!' _Sasuke was thinking why they had to be put in a team to begin with, _'If they get in my way I'll kill them myself.' _Every girl in the room, including Hinata, thought the same thing about Sakura at that moment, _'Lucky forehead girl! I should be with Naruto/Sasuke!'_

The three then sat down together so everyone else could be put in their own teams. After Iruka was done he told them all they had to wait until after lunchtime for their new instructors to pick them up. At that everyone got up and walked with their teams to get lunch together. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke did walk out the building together but as soon as Sakura asked Sasuke if he wanted to eat lunch with her he disappeared. Naruto spoke up, "I would ask you if you want to join me for lunch seeing as we're teammates now but something tells me you're gonna say no."

Sakura turned on him and started shouting, "Naruto! Shut up! You're so..." At this point she had finally turned around and taken notice of his new clothes. She obviously also noticed how his new clothes showed off the body he would usually cover up with the jumpsuit. She just stood there open mouthed and gawking at his body.

Naruto waited a couple of seconds expecting her to answer him. He then waved his hand in front of her eyes, "Sakura-san? Hello?" When she didn't answer he just shrugged and walked off for Ichiraku's. When he turned the corner Sakura managed to snap out of her shock and sighed when she saw that Naruto had ditched her in her shocked state she then went to find a bench where she could enjoy her lunch.

* * *

Naruto just walked back the same way he had come from that morning to get back to Ichiraku's. It had gotten a lot more busy since the morning. He could see that a lot of the villagers still glaring at him but he also felt another sort of stare on him. He just couldn't shake it or understand what it was about, until he remembered what it felt like when those fan-girls were staring at him. When he figured that out he instantly took to the rooftops, incase he might get swarmed again. Thanks to his little detour to the rooftops he managed to make it over to Ichiraku's in record time. He managed to sneak under the curtain and onto the stool without being noticed by the young female villagers thankfully.

He ate a few bowls and then decided to leave before he was found. He decided to find Sasuke to have a talk with him about being in the same team. He took to the rooftops again hoping to see Sasuke somewhere on the way back to the academy. _'Hmm. Where would the Teme go to eat lunch?' _He was thinking while going from one roof to another, _'I'm gonna have to up the weight again when I get to the compound tonight. I feel too light.' _He kept up his pace while also taking a few detours checking out likely places for Sasuke to be.

Eventually he did find Sasuke moping around and eating some gohan in what looked like his apartment. Naruto jumped down to be outside the window and got Sasuke's attention, "Hey Sasuke-teme." Sasuke being surprised choked on the bite he had just taken.

"What do you think you're doing Dobe!? Wait, scratch that why are you here?" Asked the Uchiha with a glare after he managed to cough up the rice.

"I wanted to talk with you. Since we're gonna be teammates could we at least forget we hate each other during training and missions so we don't get each other killed?" Answered Naruto, looking the Uchiha in the eye.

"What's the matter Dobe? Afraid I won't protect you?" Said the Uchiha with a smirk.

"_Yeah right!"_ Said Naruto under his breath. "I'm more afraid of you being too arrogant to ask for my help and getting yourself killed!" Replied Naruto with a bit of venom lacing his words.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto now and said, "Fine, but don't get in my way or I'll kill you myself, that goes for that pink haired fan-girl that's always following me around as well!"

Naruto sighed and started back for the academy. _'Guess that was the best I could've hoped for with his arrogance. Not to mention his obsession with killing his brother.'_

_**'Something tells me he'll be more trouble than he's worth Kit.'**_ Kyuubi offered.

_'Something tells me your right Kyu-sensei. I'm still gonna try though. As you know I never give up.' _Naruto told Kyuubi as he grinned.

* * *

Team 7 had been waiting three hours now for their new jounin instructor. Every one else had already been picked up by their instructors. Naruto was sitting at the back were he went to try and escape the fan-girls, while Sasuke was sitting in the usual spot. Sakura on the other hand was torn, she had no idea who she should sit next to. She was now infatuated with Naruto because she had seen his well sculpted body but she was also infatuated with Sasuke because he had that mysterious air around him. She did the only thing she could think of doing at that moment and that was sit down in front while looking at the two.

_'What do you think's up with Sakura, Kyu-sensei?' _Asked Naruto to Kyuubi.

_**'If I didn't know better Kit, I would say she's wondering which of you looks better and depending on her decision she's now going to be that person's fan-girl.' **_Answered Kyuubi matter of factly.

_'Well the Teme can have her. She's too prissy for my liking.' _Naruto thought, not liking the way she was looking at him like a piece of meat.

_**'I wouldn't worry about it Kit. From the look on her face she's going to take her time deciding.' **_Kyuubi comforted Naruto.

Naruto relaxed a little more on hearing that. He started wondering why the instructor was so late when Kyuubi spoke up again. _**'Think about it Kit. You've read all those ninja statistics that your father left you. Try and figure out who it is from that, it'll help with your problem solving skills.'**_

Naruto liked the idea, it would at least keep his mind busy. _'Alright so we know it's not Sarutobi Asuma or Yuhi Kurenai. They would have been top of my list of wanted instructors from what I read about them. The other jounin that came here weren't anything special. Our jounin is late though, now which jounin have I read about can be late some... Aww, hell.'_

_**'What is it Kit?' **_Asked Kyuubi slightly alarmed.

_'I think I just figured out who our instructor is gonna be. The only hint I'm gonna give you is that he knows who my father was.' _Replied Naruto.

_**'Aww, shit. I was hoping you wouldn't get his lazy ass. Knowing the village council they probably set it up like this so he could train their precious Uchiha on how to activate and use his sharingan.' **_Figured Kyuubi.

_'Doesn't matter, I got you to train me. He'll be good enough to help protect us during missions won't he? Plus I'll finally get to thank him for saving me that night six years ago.' _Reasoned Naruto.

_**'You still remember that Kit!!'**_ Exclaimed Kyuubi.**_ 'I guess you're right though he is good enough to protect you guys while on a mission.'_**

At that moment Naruto felt the door behind him open. He instantly grabbed a kunai from one of the holsters under his jacket and threw it over his shoulder. It imbedded itself in the door frame right in front of the jounin's face. Both Sasuke and Sakura looked at him strangely. "You're late sensei." Naruto said as he turned around to see the jounin walk in with his one eye not giving any emotion away. He grabbed the kunai and tossed it back to Naruto, who caught it with ease and placed it back in the holster under his jacket.

"Now that wasn't a very nice greeting. I wasn't that late." He said in a sort of monotone. "Either way I want to meet you all on the roof, now." At that he disappeared in a puff of smoke but not before a thought passed through his head, _'That was an interesting greeting.'_

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sakura and contemplated the use of the same jutsu to get to the roof and give them a surprise but decided against it. "We better get going." Was all Naruto said as he got up to leave.

* * *

When the three got to the roof the jounin was already there sitting at the far end. He gestured for the three to sit down. "Alright how about we get to know each other? Intoduce yourselves." He said in the same monotone voice.

Sakura raised her hand almost instantly. "Um. Sensei what should we say?"

"Well you should obviously say your names. Maybe then you could say your likes and dislikes, your hobbies and maybe your dreams." Replied the jounin.

"Why don't you go first? We can't keep calling you just sensei, sensei." Suggested Naruto.

"Okay. My names Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dreams... I have few hobbies."

_'Secretive guy! All we learned was his name.' _Thought Naruto. _'But I already know some other stuff about you Kakashi.'_

Sasuke and Sakura both thought the same thing, _'All we learned was his name!?'_

"Okay what about you with the pink." Kakashi said pointing toward Sakura who was sitting in between the other two.

"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like... well the person I like is... And my hobbies are... well, my dream is to...!" She hid her face with her hands at this point, in embarrassment and confusion. All the time she had been saying this she had been looking between Naruto and Sasuke not sure which one to settle on.

"Anything you hate?" Asked Kakashi still not giving away emotion.

"INO-PIG!" She shouted instantly.

_'Oh! That's perfect! A fan-girl that likes both her teammates and can't choose which is better. That's gonna be annoying.' _Kakashi thought. "Okay what about you blondie?" He said while pointing at Naruto, to the left of Sakura.

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto!" Shouted Naruto with confidence. _'Like you didn't know that already Kakashi.' _He thought briefly. "I like ramen and training. I dislike the 3 minute wait after adding water to the ramen cup, when making instant ramen. I got some hobbies but I ain't saying what they are. My dream... is to be HOKAGE!" He yelled the last part for emphasis. Sakura was looking at him with hearts in her eyes, Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at him and Kakashi just looked bored with his only revealing nothing.

_'He's grown up strangely. I was expecting to be more bitter.' _Thought Kakashi before turning to Sasuke. "Alright, emo-kid you're up last."

"I'M NOT EMO!" Sasuke yelled, his eyebrow twitching. This elicited a chuckle from Naruto.

"Fine, just get on with the introduction..." Everyone thought that Kakashi had finished at that but Naruto managed to hear the quiet, _"Emo-kid.", _that Kakashi had said under his breath. This caused Naruto to stifle another chuckle.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I hate, there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream." Both Sakura and Naruto were now listening intently to what Sasuke was saying, Kakashi just looked on as usual. "The revival of my clan and to... kill a certain man."

_'Sasuke is SO cool!' _Thought Sakura. _'Aww, Kami! Please tell me he isn't gonna do something stupid to kill this guy!' _Naruto thought at the same time, Kakashi though, simply thought, _'Just as I thought...'_

"Alright you three have unique personalities. So far, I like that." Kakashi said while looking over the three of them. "We're going on a mission tomorrow. It's something the four of us can do together, some survival training."

Sakura raised her hand instantly and asked, "Why are we going to train when it's a mission? Didn't we get enough training at the academy?"

Naruto resisted the urge to smirk at this. He had already read all about the second set of tests in his fathers scrolls but Sasuke and Sakura had no idea what was coming next. "This is no ordinary training. If I say this, I'm sure the three of you are going to be surprised. Out of the 27 graduates, only nine will become genins. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of sixty-six percent."

Sakura looked shocked at this new information. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the jounin. Naruto... just smirked. _'Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for but two out of three isn't bad.' _Thought Kakashi looking at Naruto's expression.

Naruto got up slowly the smirk still evident on his face. "Bring it on Kakashi-sensei! The three of us will take on whatever you're gonna throw at us." Naruto said while gesturing at the other two. This elicited an excited "Yeah!" and punch in the air from Sakura. Sasuke just did his usual "Hn." of agreement.

Kakashi looked over the three again and said, "Alright, the test is going to be at training grounds 7 tomorrow morning at 7am. Oh! Before I go, I suggest you don't eat any breakfast."

He started going through some hand signs quickly until Sakura asked another question. "Why's that sensei?"

He looked up and simply said, "Because you'll puke." He then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke and Sakura got up and started walking away when Naruto addressed them. "Don't listen to his advice about breakfast, have what you usually have for breakfast. Don't worry about the time of the test, he'll be late again tomorrow. We might as well wait until tomorrow to make a plan. Oh! And Sasuke I'm only going to say this once, we have to work as a team, so don't even think of going against him on your own. See you guys tomorrow morning!" Naruto started jumping from rooftop to rooftop at that point wanting to get to the compound.

"Hmph. Dobe!" Said Sasuke as he walked away again.

* * *

Naruto was walking through the compound on his way to the ninjutsu training area. Kyuubi told him since they didn't get a chance to check for the Namikaze Kekkei Genkai the other night they would do it tonight. He walked into the cavern and saw Kyuubi as he had been the night before, except the Uzumaki clan scroll had been put back in the vault since he had already established he had the Kekkei Genkai.

"**Alright Kit. Lets get this over with. You've already read the clan scroll, you know what the Kekkei Genkai will allow you to do. I gathered these three scrolls from your fathers seal library, they're useful seals but they're also very simple so it should be easy for you to use them if you have the Kekkei Genkai. First, I have this one,"** Kyuubi took the first scroll and opened it up. **"It is a basic paralysis seal. You can use it to capture enemies or targets depending on the situation. It can be broken if the target has a strong enough will though. Second, is this one," **he took the second scroll and opened it up. **"It is a simple chakra draining seal. Using it on yourself probably wouldn't do much to your chakra levels since you have so much of it. It should be useful against other genin and maybe some chunin though. Finally, is this one," **he took the third scroll and opened it up. **"It is a seal made for sealing items within scrolls or anything you put the seal on really. You simply place the item in the centre of the seal and use a half ram hand-seal, insert some chakra and it will be sealed until you simply use your chakra and think or say Kai (Release). There, that should be enough to copy for now. Give it a try, you remember how the scroll instructed don't you?" **Naruto nodded, stepped up to the three scrolls and sat down in front of them.

Naruto remembered what he read in the scroll very clearly. There weren't any special seals like the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, all he had to do was concentrate on the seals in front of him and feed chakra into his eyes. While doing this the Namikaze Kekkei Genkai should activate if he had it. The first ability was being able to copy the seals, his pupils would turn red then back to black when he had copied it.

Kyuubi suddenly spoke up, **"There it is Kit! Your pupil just turned red for a second! Guess you have both Kekkei Genkai! Now which seal were you concentrating on?"**

"Uh... Th-The paralysis." Naruto said dumbly. It hadn't felt like he'd copied it. In fact it felt like nothing had happened.

"**Alright try the other two now just in case I was seeing things. Although I highly doubt it." **Naruto did as Kyuubi said. When looking over the other two his pupils flashed red again and he thought he felt something. **"No doubt about it Kit. You have the Kekkei Genkai!"**

"Yeah I felt something in my eyes this time. I guess I'll get better at telling when I've copied them with time though right, Kyu-sensei?" Asked Naruto with a big grin.

"**Most probably Kit. Now for the second use, give it a try!" **Replied Kyuubi.

The second ability depended on the use of the first ability. Once Naruto copied a seal he should be able to print the seal with chakra for a temporary period. Once this is done he could leave the seal to dissipate or use seal equipment to make the seal permanent. To print a seal all he had to do was think of the seal he wanted to print, gather chakra in his hand and eventually the chakra would become visible and may change colour and the symbols for the seal would appear on his hand and move all over it. Once this happened he wouldn't have to concentrate on the chakra anymore, his hand would stay like this until it touched something or he consciously stopped it. The chakra in his hand would form the seal and activate it when he used it.

Naruto thought of the paralysis seal and gathered chakra in his hand. After about five seconds of doing this his hand suddenly glowed a purple colour and some symbols were moving all over it. "Alright it worked!" He yelled in victory.

"**Good Kit. Now dispel it and you can try the third ability." **Kyuubi said with a smile.

Naruto tried to dispel the seal. It didn't go away, he tried concentrating harder on stopping it. It still didn't go away. "Um-uh. Kyu-sensei? We may have a problem here. The seal won't go away!" Naruto announced in a panic.

"**Hm? Let me see your hand Kit." **Naruto walked over and presented the glowing hand. **"That's interesting! Your other Kekkei Genkai, causing your chakra to be condensed, has made it so you can't dispel the seal. At least that's what it looks like to me. Guess you'll just have to use the seal on something. I know summon one of those kage bunshin and use it on one of them. Doing this will also tell us how long the seal will last and thanks to your chakra being condensed something tells me it will last long." **Naruto did as Kyuubi said and summoned a kage bunshin. He wasn't afraid of using the seal on himself because it had said in the scroll that you couldn't print a seal on yourself using the Kekkei Genkai. He placed his hand on the kage bunshin and the symbols rushed on to it. They started forming the paralysis seal and shined the bright blue colour of regular chakra. The kage bunshin instantly froze once the seal was complete and collapsed onto floor not moving a muscle so he looked like a statue. Naruto chuckled at the sight.

"**I have another idea Kit! Bring out another kage bunshin and use the paralysis seal on that one too." **Kyuubi said slightly smug with the idea he just had. Naruto did as Kyuubi said and soon they had two kage bunshin collapsed on the floor looking like fallen statues. **"Now we'll leave one clone to follow the course of the seal to see how long it lasts. You can use the other clone now to try out the third ability. I want you to disrupt and destroy the seal using the third ability."**

Naruto recalled the third ability from the scroll. Using the third ability he could analyze any seal and find a way to either; make it more effective or destroy it and make it useless. It activated in a similar fashion to the first ability but he had to say or think "Analyze" while concentrating on the seal in order to activate the third ability. His eyes are supposed to change with the third ability apparently. Parts of his iris are supposed to extend into the pupil and create a cross hair shape, blood vessels are supposed to be drawn to his iris at strange angles making them seem robotic and when analyzing a seal the iris is known to turn randomly making the eyes seem even more robotic. The iris colour is supposed to stay the same though.

Naruto sat down next to the clone, concentrating on the seal. He gathered chakra to his eyes and thought _'ANALYZE!'_ with all his might. The next second he felt his eyes begin to itch and he new they were changing. Once the itching stopped the symbols of the seal in front of him suddenly raised off of the clone and he could see what each symbol and marking did for the over all seal. He looked over each symbol and marking, he finally stopped at a symbol and decided, _'Looks like if I destroy this symbol the whole seal will be destroyed but I'm not sure. What the hell! Let's try!' _He came out of his thought and used some chakra to destroy the symbol. To Kyuubi, it looked like Naruto was touching empty air. At first he thought Naruto was playing around until he saw the seal on the kage bunshins chest just disappear.

"Alright! It worked!" Naruto shouted punching both fists in the air.

"**Good work Kit! Looks like you understand exactly how to use the third ability. Although it looked like you were doing something in front of you in mid-air. What were you doing exactly?" **Asked Kyuubi with obvious interest.

Naruto looked at Kyuubi not understanding what he was talking about until it hit him. Only he could see the symbols when they were raised, thanks to the Kekkei Genkai. "Oh! Well, I was destroying the seal. When my eyes activated the seal's symbols raised from the clone and spread out. Then I looked over the symbols and found the one I had to destroy to get rid of the whole seal. Guess I must have looked crazy just prodding at empty air like that, huh?" Naruto dispelled the clone at this point.

"**A little bit Kit but that doesn't matter, you managed to use all three abilities. All we need to find out now-," **Kyuubi turned to look at the remaining clone, **"-is see how long the seal lasts once you've printed it. Anyway you might as well go home, I'll tell you when the seal dissipates. I don't want to tire you out with training tonight. You're going to need to be on top form for tomorrows test "**

"Alright Kyu-sensei. See you tomorrow after the test?" Asked Naruto.

"**You better Kit! We'll be going right back to the usual training and once you've passed the test and become a fully fledged genin, I'll let you learn some of the offensive jutsu from the vault." **Replied Kyuubi.

"Alright Kyu-sensei. See ya!" Naruto ran for the scroll with the transport seal as soon as the last word left his mouth.

Kyuubi chuckled as he watched the blonde leave. **"Maybe I should have given him some training tonight he has way too much chakra to spare. Oh, well! Guess I might as well make myself comfortable until that seal dissipates."**

**Five hours later;**

"**Damn how long is this thing going to last I might not get any sleep if it doesn't dissipate soon!" **A good few minutes later the seal finally dissipated. **"Finally! Guess I'll wait till morning to tell the Kit though, he's probably asleep by now." **Kyuubi lay down on the ground as he said this and nodded off to sleep.

* * *

At that moment Naruto sneezed. He was currently running through the village. He couldn't sleep so tried tiring himself out with a run around the village and adding a few levels to the weight seal of course. He just carried on running after the sneeze and hoped he was tired enough to sleep now and hoped he wouldn't end up being later that Kakashi that would just be embarrassing.


	8. The Test

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Naruto.

Sorry for the wait kinda got into reading some other fanfics.

Chapter 8 – The test

* * *

**Last time:**

At that moment Naruto sneezed. He was currently running through the village. He couldn't sleep so tried tiring himself out with a run around the village and adding a few levels to the weight seal of course. He just carried on running after the sneeze and hoped he was tired enough to sleep now and hoped he wouldn't end up being later that Kakashi that would just be embarrassing.

**This Chapter:**

Naruto woke up a little after 7am. He took a shower and got dressed fairly quickly, in the new ninja gear he got from Kyuubi, making sure he remembered the kunai holsters under his jacket, the goggles around his neck and a couple of breakfast bars from the cupboards in his kitchen.

On his way out the door Kyuubi spoke up. _**'Hey Kit! I was hoping to get you before you got to the training grounds. About the seal last night, it lasted somewhere over 5 hours. If you're gonna be using it, make sure you want that person to stay paralyzed for a while unless you're willing to destroy the seal. Got that Kit?'**_

_'Yeah, I got it Kyu-sensei. Thanks for the info.'_ Naruto thought back as he carried on out the door and turned around to lock it.

Afterwards he went straight for Ichiraku's and ordered only one bowl since it was for breakfast. When Ayame and Teuchi asked why he wasn't eating more he just said that he had to get to a training session and they left it at that.

Naruto finally arrived at the training grounds at 8:45am. When he arrived the first thing he saw were two very tired, very hungry looking genin hopefuls, namely, Sakura and Sasuke. They hadn't taken his advice about eating breakfast or getting there purposefully late and it had taken it's toll on them. Each looked like they were about to collapse in fatigue. He just sighed and walked over to them.

"I thought as much, neither of you took my advice did you? You do realize Kakashi-sensei only suggested that we skip breakfast? Also, you did notice how late he was yesterday?" Naruto sighed at the two again. "Well it's a good thing I brought these," he pulled the two breakfast bars from his pocket and handed one to each of them. "Eat up. It's not much but it should help you during the test."

Sakura took the bar with a silent "Arigatou, Naruto-kun." and continued on to eat it. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked at the bar like it was his worst enemy. "I'm not going to eat this! If I eat this Kakashi-sensei will most probably fail me straight away!"

"Listen Sasuke-teme think back to the academy. Every time we went out on survival training Iruka-sensei told us to have a hearty breakfast to make sure we would have enough energy to get our own food when we were in the forest. Think about it! Kakashi-sensei is probably trying to use our hunger to his advantage and unless you eat something, you're going to be a liability. Now eat that bar before I shove it down your throat, it's for your own good!" Lectured Naruto. Sasuke just glared at him and ate the bar slowly.

In a tree, a few 50 feet away, Kakashi was watching with interest at what was happening in the training ground before him. _'So Naruto's got the teamwork part down. Even if he does have to force it on the Emo-kid. I think this squad might actually make it... maybe.' _Thought Kakashi. He then used the Shunshin no Jutsu to appear before the three pre-teens. "Sorry I'm late. I-" started Kakashi.

"LIAR! Don't even try it Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto broke-in.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with a fake hurt expression. "You didn't even let me try! Oh, well on to the test. It's pretty simple, all you have to do is get these bells off of me before noon." He took out two bells and held them up for the three to see. He also took out an alarm clock and set it for noon.

"But Kakashi-sensei! There are only two bells and three of us." Sakura pointed out.

"Exactly only two of you can pass. Once you have a bell you pass, if you don't get a bell then you fail and you have to watch as whoever did pass eat these two lunches I prepared." Kakashi pulled out a pair of bento boxes. Sasuke and Sakura looked at the two lunches and a small, almost inaudible growl came from their stomachs. While Naruto just looked at the boxes uninterested, since he had gotten a pretty good breakfast at Ichiraku's. "Also, if you fail you have to go back to the academy, although I'm guessing you already figured that out from what I said yesterday." Kakashi walked over to three posts on the other end of the training grounds and placed the two bento boxes and the alarm clock on top of the middle post.

"So when do we start Kakashi-sensei?" Asked Naruto with a smirk.

"Well first, I should tell you if you want to get these bells that you're gonna have to come at me with everything you have. That means you have to have an intent to kill, you can use anything you want, kunai, shuriken and anything else you may have." Replied Kakashi with an eye-smile.

"But that's too dangerous Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled in fear for the jounins life.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He replied. "By the way the test starts now!"

At that, all three sped into the trees for cover. _'Hm, they have a pretty good grasp of stealth.' _Thought Kakashi.

Naruto, in his hiding place, created four kage bunshin. He ordered two to find Sakura and for one to bring her to the meeting place he specified while the other performed a henge to take her place. He order one to take his hiding place and the last to follow him in order to get Sasuke.

The two bunshin sent for Sakura found her quickly and explained the situation to her once she got over the shock of seeing two 'solid' Narutos. One quickly performed a henge to turn into her and take her place, while the other guided her to the meeting place. Sasuke on the other hand wasn't so coopertive and the real Naruto ended up knocking him out and dragging him to meet Sakura while the bunshin took Sasuke's place under a henge.

While all this was going on, Kakashi was raising an eyebrow in surprise at sensing the four new presences. _'What's going on, a clone technique of some kind? Guess I'll just have to find out.' _He thought as he started for the three still in the trees and he felt the other four moving away to the west. He Found 'Naruto' first and went through the usual plan. "Ninja lesson 1: Taijutsu." he said when he appeared behind the clone. The clone just looked at him unimpressed and got up to face the jounin. Kakashi took out his copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' and went on to say. "Taijutsu no Ougi: Sennen Goroshi!" Kakashi then appeared behind the clone and plunged his his fingers into it's rectum. Unlike what he usually gets from that technique, which is a genin hopeful flying away, he was surprised to get a face full of smoke. _'Kage bunshin! When did one of them learn that?' _He thought in surprise. He had read the three genin hopefuls personal files and it didn't mention anything about any of them learning the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. _'If this was a kage bunshin then something tells me the other two still here are the same. I'll have to go after the other four.' _He didn't get the chance to follow though because the other three bunshin appeared in front and behind him having gained the memories of their fallen brother. Their mission now was simple keep Kakashi distracted for as long as possible.

* * *

Elsewhere in a small clearing in the forest the real genin hopefuls were just finishing their plans. One obviously not liking the fact that he had been dragged into this. "Okay then now that that's sorted. You guys get going on the traps I'm gonna find a place to hide and wait for Kakashi. Hopefully one of the kage bunshin will be able to survive long enough to lead him to this place." Naruto said as he began to turn away and head for the trees.

"Wait a second Dobe why is it you who gets to go after Kakashi?" Asked Sasuke a little angry.

"Because I have the perfect way of bringing him down Teme. And don't worry you two can have the bells for all I care, I just want to see the look on Kakashi-sensei's face when I use my technique on him. Now get going, he's already gotten rid of two of my kage bunshin." Ordered Naruto.

Sakura went on to start on the traps with Naruto's weapon pouches and kunai holsters in hand. Sasuke on the other hand just walked behind her grumbling to himself.

* * *

Kakashi had just tried to use a genjutsu as lesson 2 on the clone that looked like Sakura and it had gone up in smoke. _'Another clone, why doesn't that surprise me?' _He thought turning to the other two.

* * *

After each trap was set up perfectly using all the kunai and shuriken they had, they had created a menagerie of traps to keep Kakashi occupied. While they were looking over their handy work they heard Naruto whistle signaling that Kakashi had dealt with all but one of the kage bunshin and was currently on his way toward them. The two quickly hid behind the bushes were they could set off all the traps.

A few minutes later another Naruto landed next to them and quickly explained he was a clone not the real one, before they could complain. They then got up to see Kakashi standing a few feet from the bushes staring straight at them. "Alright, time's almost up, now are the real 'yous' going to finally try and get the bells from me or what?" Kakashi asked turning to his orange book about half way through his speech.

The three smirked at him and said in unison, "Hai!" As soon as the word left their mouth's a multitude of shuriken and kunai were thrown at him.

_'Traps huh? That was their big idea? I would have at least expected the emo to try a katon on me.' _Kakashi thought as he took out a kunai and blocked each and every weapon thrown at him not once looking up from his book. As he was still blocking the projectiles 'Naruto' and Sasuke jumped in to attack him. They both hit their mark only to have it turn into a log. The barrage of weapons had stopped now so the two looked around trying to figure out where he had gone.

_'Where is he?' _Sasuke thought while 'Naruto' was also looking around. All of a sudden the ground beneath both of them crumbled and Kakashi's hands came up, grabbed both their ankles and pulled them under leaving only their heads above ground .

Kakashi knelt down in front of the two as he said, "Ninja lesson 3: Ninjutsu, Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu." and was about to get up when suddenly, he couldn't move. "What's going on?" He asked no one in particular. His question was partly answered when the 'Naruto' in front of him went up in smoke. _'Another bunshin? I was sure this one was the real one! So where..?' _he was thinking, wide-eyed, when Naruto stepped out into his field of vision. _'I couldn't even feel his chakra! He's better than he's letting on or was letting on at least.'_

"How do you like my paralysis seal Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked the immobile jounin while he summoned some kage bunshin to get Sasuke out of the ground. Naruto went over to the jounin and unfastened the two bells. "I'll take these. Hey Sakura! Catch!" He yelled throwing one her way then holding the other out to Sasuke when he was out of the jutsu. Sasuke just glared at Naruto and snatched the bell from him. "So this means that they pass right Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes." Kakashi answered.

"Good! Well see you guys! I'm going back to the academy since you two have the bells and I don't." Naruto said with a grin as he turned around and started for the academy when Kakashi spoke up.

"Stop Naruto! You all pass." Kakashi told him. Naruto already expected this and would have grinned but instead held it back, while Sakura and Sasuke just looked surprised and confused. "You realized the purpose of this test and got the three of you to work together to take me down. The purpose was to see if you could work as a team and you did. You knew that me telling you not to eat breakfast was so I could use your hunger against you, so you brought food for your teammates. There is a saying I like to follow, those who break the rules are scum but-"

"-Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Naruto finished.

Kakashi did an eye-smile and answered, "Exactly! Now that you all passed could you please take the paralysis parchment seal off me?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile.

"Why don't you just break it? Being a jounin you must have a strong enough will to break it. I mean it's a pretty simple seal." Replied Naruto hands behind his head.

Kakashi simply replied, "I'm too lazy."

Naruto sighed while the other two had a large bead of sweat appearing on their forehead. "Okay give me a second." Naruto walked back over to Kakashi. Once his eyes were out of sight of Sasuke and Sakura he activated his Kekkei Genkai and quickly destroyed the seal. Coming back from behind Kakashi who stood up, he pretended to stuff something into his jacket to make them think it was the parchment seal.

"Now then, you three can have tomorrow off. I need to get some paperwork done concerning you three becoming genin. Meet me here the day after tomorrow at 8am and we'll start on your training and missions. Dismissed!" Kakashi announced and started to leave for the Hokage tower while Sasuke and Sakura were leaving the training grounds. He would have carried on but was stopped by Naruto.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei! Can I talk to you for a second?" The blonde asked his new sensei. Everyone turned to look at Naruto at that point. He quickly told Sasuke and Sakura to go on without him and that he would catch up. Sasuke 'hmphed' and carried on walking, Sakura nodded and followed Sasuke.

Once they were gone Kakashi spoke up, "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you about my father and to thank you for saving me six years ago." Naruto replied.

Not many things can shock Hatake Kakashi and this statement was one of the few that did. "Well I'm surprised that you remember that. No problem by the way I was just following orders. But why do you want to talk to me about your father?"

"Drop the act I know that my father was your sensei. I know who my father was! So there's no point acting stupid. I found a place my father left for me thanks to a little help from a friend. I know my father was the Yondaime, The Fourth Hokage." Announced Naruto.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with slight awe now. "So is this place where you learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

"Among other things, yes." Naruto answered. "I was also trained by the same friend who led me there. He trained me to the ground and helped me awaken my Kekkei Genkai, both of them!"

Kakashi was staring wide-eyed again at Naruto. "Both Kekkei Genkai!?" He asked in an incredulous tone.

"That's right. I gained my father's Kekkei Genkai and my mother's. I'm telling you this now so you don't find out later and question me. I have a good understanding of both Kekkei Genkai. In fact it was through my father's Kekkei Genkai that I was able to paralyze you and remove the seal. If I hadn't removed the seal or you hadn't broken it you would have probably been stuck like that for about five hours, by the way." Naruto informed the stunned jounin.

"This 'friend' you're talking about. It's Kyuubi isn't it?" Kakashi asked the awe still present on his face.

"Not lazy enough to figure that out are you? Yeah, Kyuubi trained me and everything and from the fact that your not shaking in your boots from talking about him, I'm guessing you know he didn't mean attack the village?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I know all about how he went on the rampage thanks to someone from the Uchiha clan using the Mangekyou Sharingan on him. Minato-sensei explained it to me before he sealed Kyuubi in you. He wanted to be sure I wouldn't blame Kyuubi for the attack and I don't." Explained Kakashi.

"Good to know, so we won't have any problems with each other?" Naruto asked.

"No, I haven't got a problem with you or Kyuubi. I am afraid to say though that at your current level I probably couldn't teach you much anyway. Something also tells me you weren't even trying in the test today, you could probably take me on and have a good chance at winning." Kakashi replied with a small eye smile.

Naruto grinned at this and went on to say, "Don't worry, I know you were probably forced to take on Sasuke as your student so the council could get their emo-Uchiha to be stronger. Kyuubi says he can still keep training me as well, knowing him he probably hasn't taught me half the stuff he knows. Plus, I still got the scrolls in my dads library to go through anyway." Naruto's grin turned into a frown at this point. "I have got some concerns about Sakura though. She isn't strong enough physically, she has book smarts that's obvious but she needs to do more physical exercise and get her chakra reserves up. She's gonna be a liability at the best of times."

Kakashi nodded at this thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. I'm gonna be busy training Sasuke so I probably won't have that much time. That's not the only problem though, she's a fan-girl for the emo and I think she has her eyes on you too. Fan-girls are always more interested in going after their idol. Maybe you could train her? She might listen to you and you could train her away from emo-kid."

Naruto thought about this for a second. _'Guess it wouldn't be too bad. At least then I wouldn't be wasting my time when he's training Sasuke. Then again we'll be doing D-rank missions for a while which means there will be next to no risk. Maybe I can get something out of this.' _Naruto got a foxy grin on his face."What's in it for me? If I have to train her when your supposed to be training all three of us I should at least get some of your paycheck or something like that. WAIT! I know. After every training session you have to take me out for ramen at Ichiraku's and pay for at least 5 bowls of ramen for me. Deal?"

_**'Nice one Kit. Less money you have to spend.' **_Kyuubi chuckled.

Kakashi sighed, had a large bead of sweat forming on the back of his head and damn near fell over all at the same time. _'Sneaky little gaki! Five bowls of ramen a day? I only get paid monthly and from what I can figure that ramen is gonna take away at least a quarter of my paycheck straight away and I'm not gonna get much from the D-rank missions we'll be doing. Stupid council! I'm gonna have to ask for a pay-rise or something. Oh well, doesn't look like I'm getting out of this.' _Kakashi dropped his head in defeat. "Alright gaki, I'll get you your five bowls of ramen but only on days when you've actually been training her! I will be checking! So we got a deal?" Kakashi held out his free hand his other still holding his Icha Icha book.

"Okay!" Naruto grinned as he shook his new 'sensei's' hand.

After that was done they both said their good-byes and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke while Naruto walked to the entrance of the training area. When he got there he was greeted by Sakura and noticed that the Uchiha was gone. "So where did Sasuke-teme go?" Naruto asked the down cast Sakura.

"Well he said he didn't want to waste his time on a dobe and an annoying fan-girl and walked off." She replied near tears.

"Hey, don't worry Sakura! Come on I'll take you out for ramen since we passed, my treat!" Naruto announced with a grin and putting his hands behind his head.

Sakura blushed at this and asked innocently, "You mean like a date?"

Naruto paled a little, not really thinking of it like that or wanting it to be like that. "Uh no, not a date. I mean you want to get Sasuke don't you? If he sees you out with me on a date he might not want go out with you. Let's just call it a meal between friends. How does that sound?" Naruto managed to get out before Sakura glomped him in happiness.

Sakura looked a little less happy about that but saw the logic behind it. "Alright! Lets go then Naruto-kun!" She screeched while grabbing his arm and leaning on him. Naruto looked a little pale at the high pitched voice but carried on walking to Ichiraku's, the thought of a few bowls of his favourite food let him get over the banshee on his arm.

"Oh! Wait a second, do you still have my weapon pouches and stuff?" Naruto asked suddenly remembering about the said pouches.

"Oh yeah!" Sakura thought out loud while she reached into her dress and pulled out the two utility pouches and all the kunai holsters. She handed them to Naruto with a slight blush realizing what she had just done in front of him.

Naruto accepted the equipment and quickly reattached it to the various pieces of clothing and limbs. Putting the kunai holsters that went underneath his jacket on though got the most attention from Sakura, as he had to take off his jacket revealing his upper body under the mesh shirt. Naruto noticed her stare he quickly pulled his jacket back on.

* * *

While walking through the village towards Ichiraku's, Naruto with Sakura attached to his arm he luckily, or unluckily, depending on your point of view, came across Ino, who had also passed her test making her a genin. The moment she saw Naruto she ran over and attached herself to his free arm and started a glaring contest with the pink haired kunoichi on the other arm. "What are you doing with my Naruto-kun? Shouldn't you be following Sasuke somewhere?" Ino asked Sakura with a bit of venom in her words.

Sakura just glared back at Ino and said. "We're going to eat lunch together, since we both passed the test as well. I'd almost say it's a date but I still want a chance with Sasuke-kun."

Ino visibly seethed at this. Naruto quickly realized what the outcome of this conversation would be and quickly invited Ino along for a meal as well. Ino quickly brightened and turned to the blond. "Are you asking me out on a date Naruto-kun?" She asked in a teasing way.

Naruto quickly shook his head. "No, just another friend going out on a celebratory meal. Wait, shouldn't you be with your other teammates?"

"Well they were behind me, so they should be over there." Ino replied, turning her head and pointing to a spot a few yards away. Naruto looked over and saw a very tired and bored looking Chouji and Shikamaru who were now walking over.

"Hey guys how'd you find the test? Was it troublesome or just 'hn'?" Naruto asked the two using Shikamaru's favourite words for describing something.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru replied simply.

"Wasn't too bad." Chouji replied, taking a break from eating his chips.

"You guys wanna join us? We're going to Ichiraku's to celebrate." Naruto asked with a look in his eye that screamed, 'Please help me out! I don't wanna be stuck with these two alone!'. The look didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru, who instantly broke into a smirk and contemplated leaving him to the fan-girls. Eventually his friendly side won over and he nodded his head in a yes while muttering "Troublesome."

The five continued their trip and got to Ichiraku's without any other problems. They all had a couple of bowls except for Chouji and Naruto, who had ten bowls each. They all got a congratulations from Teuchi and Ayame, Ayame of course smiling at the blonde with the two girls either side of him, obviously expecting this to happen the morning he came in his new clothes.

* * *

After everyone finished their meals they headed back home. Naruto had to go home with the two girls attached to his arms, when they got to his apartment though they both unlatched and went to their homes. Naruto sighed when he got inside and went straight to the transport seal under the carpet and got to the compound. When he arrived he met up with Kyuubi and they went over the plans for his training of the pink haired banshee. Naruto also asked Kyuubi about copying the seals in his fathers library with the Kekkei Genkai and about learning some more jutsu from the vault. When they were done Kyuubi guided him to the seal library, Naruto thought for a second that they would be starting on the seal copying, oh, how he was wrong.

Kyuubi went over to the seals and started mumbling to himself. **"I was sure he would put it somewhere near that weight seal. Where the hell is it?"**As Naruto was going to ask him what he was looking for he suddenly cried, **"Ah ha! Found it! Come on we're going to need some seal ink and the tattoo equipment."**

Naruto groaned at this, it wasn't that the first seal on his back hurt that much. It's just that it took so much time and he hated sitting still. He followed Kyuubi over to the seal equipment and asked the obvious question. "So what am I getting this time? A stronger weight seal?"

Kyuubi smiled at his containers question. **"No, the weight seal you have now is good enough. It let's you progress steadily and you can keep going exponentially so you'll be keeping that seal. The seal or seals I should say, I'm going to put on you now is so you don't give away the fact you have the weight seal. Right now I'm guessing the seal is increasing your weight way above the 6000kg mark, eventually you'll start making craters with each footstep if this keeps up. The seals I'm giving now are for your feet, they're cushioning seals. Having these seals on your feet will make it seem like you're a normal weight, even when people are holding you up or carrying you, to them you'll feel like you're a normal weight for a person your size and age."**

Naruto just looked uninterested and slightly annoyed at the amount of time he would have to waste getting these seals done. "Okay, I guess it's a good idea to get this done. I want to know something though, will it be possible for me to deactivate the seals if I want?" Naruto asked as a foxy grin came over his face.

"**You're already thinking of ways use this in combat aren't you Kit? You're as cunning and sneaky as a fox, maybe I've had too much of an influence on you, then again that isn't exactly a bad thing in the ninja line of work. Anyway, you can deactivate it if you want, after all it's your chakra that will be activating it, you'll be in full control of the seal don't worry." **Kyuubi explained to the slightly happier Naruto.

"Well let's get the seals done then so we can go back to training." Naruto announced with his usual enthusiasm.

The seals only took a couple of hours to do thankfully. After the first half hour Kyuubi got annoyed with Naruto because he kept moving, he came up with a way to keep Naruto occupied though by giving him a few seals to copy and analyze. It kept busy enough that Kyuubi was able to do the seals without anymore trouble. Naruto of course didn't feel any different when he activated the seals but he didn't think anything of it and the two just went back to the usual training regime all the way into the second day.


	9. Birth of a Useless Jutsu

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 9 – Birth of a Useless Jutsu

* * *

**Last time:**

The seals only took a couple of hours to do thankfully. After the first half hour Kyuubi got annoyed with Naruto because he kept moving, he came up with a way to keep Naruto occupied though by giving him a few seals to copy and analyze. It kept busy enough that Kyuubi was able to do the seals without anymore trouble. Naruto of course didn't feel any different when he activated the seals but he didn't think anything of it and the two just went back to the usual training regime all the way into the second day.

**This Chapter:**

Naruto woke up in the middle of the taijutsu training area. He and Kyuubi had trained until he collapsed and Kyuubi just left him there. "He could of at least moved me to a softer piece of ground." Naruto yawned. "Better get something to eat if I'm gonna do anymore training today."

Naruto made his way through the compound towards the kitchen. He checked the cupboards but couldn't find anything appetizing. _'Hey Kyu-sensei! I'm gonna head back into town to get something for breakfast I'll be back in an hour or so.'_

_**'Alright Kit. While you're in town could you get some food for the kitchen and some pocky for me as well.' **_Requested Kyuubi.

_'Pocky? I thought you didn't need food?' _Naruto asked confused.

_**'I may not require food but even I like my treats. Haven't you noticed that some of the sweeter things you buy seem to disappear fairly quickly?' **_Kyuubi asked.

_'That's a relief I just thought that I was eating to much or eating in my sleep or something. Alright I'll get you your pocky.' _Naruto replied before using the seal to get back to the apartment. He headed out straight for Ichiraku's, determined to get some good ramen.

What Naruto didn't expect though was to find a patch of fencing that was completely wrong. He wouldn't have said anything but it was just such an awful attempt. "You know that's an awful Kakuremino no Jutsu, the fence posts aren't lined up properly, even the colour is wrong so why don't you drop it?" Naruto announced loudly.

The jutsu was dropped slowly reveling a small child with a muffler and something that made his hair stick out at the back. "OH yeah! What do you know blondie?" Yelled the boy. "I bet you couldn't do better!"

Naruto frowned at the boy and quickly did the shunshin jutsu only to reappear on the fence behind the boy. "You bet I couldn't do better than you huh? Look to either side of you ." Naruto did a quick kage bunshin justu and created two clones either side the boy. Both were hidden with the Kakuremino no Jutsu except they were perfectly hidden unlike the boy.

The boy looked to his right and left. "What are you talking about blondie! I don't see anything!"

"Exactly! That's how that jutsu is supposed to work! Look again!" Naruto informed the boy.

The boy looked again and was surprised to see copies of the boy above him appear from underneath some cloaks. "How'd you do that? I haven't even seen my sensei do that!"

"Simple, I made kage bunshin and used the Kakuremino no Jutsu. Only difference is I did right!" Naruto announced with a grin.

"Wow! Hey could you be my sensei? I don't like the one I've got now." The boy asked with a frown.

"Kid I only became genin yesterday, besides I don't think your sensei would appreciate it. Who is your sensei anyway?" Naruto asked the boy.

"He's a closet pervert! He keeps reading this book when he thinks no one is looking! My grandpa says he's an elite jounin but he doesn't act like it. His name was Ebichoo, no wait, Ebiku?" At that moment a ninja wearing sunglasses, dark clothes and a bandana appeared in front of the boy.

"Honorable grandson where have you been? You will never be the next Hokage without my training. I am your shortcut to being the next Hokage." Announced the new ninja.

"Well that's a load of bull!" Naruto announced loudly. "There aren't any shortcuts to being the Hokage. Only hard work and training can make someone the Hokage!"

The ninja looked at Naruto and one thought went through his head, _'The demon child!'._ "Come, Honorable Grandson you should not associate yourself with this hoodlum." The ninja started walking away.

Naruto noticed the stare he got from the ninja and instantly didn't like him. "No! I want Blondie-nii-san to be my new sensei!" The boy shouted.

"Uh kid, the names Naruto, not blondie. Now that I think about what's your name? There is no way I'm calling you 'Honorable Grandson' all the time." Naruto asked a little confused.

The boy looked at him and smiled. "My names Sarutobi Konohamaru! I was named after the village!"

"Honorable grandson please come with me now! And stop associating with the hoodlum." The other ninja asked.

"You know we're gonna need to get rid of your old sensei for a second." Naruto jumped down and put his hand on Konohamarus head, he then performed another shunshin taking the two to Ichiraku's. "There we go that should give us sometime. Come on I want some noodles. Hey Ayame-nee-chan can I get a miso ramen for me and my friend here please?" Naruto asked the ramen girl. She nodded with a smile turned to make the ramen.

"Alright, I'm not gonna be your new sensei Konohamaru but I will teach you something that will put that closet pervert of a sensei you have in his place. First though I need lunch." Naruto told Konohamaru with a grin, Konohamaru just grinned back excited to be learning something new. The two ate a few bowls of ramen, well Naruto had nine while Konohamaru had two.

* * *

"Alright this technique is basically just the Henge no Jutsu. Except you have to turn into something specific for it to work." Naruto explained. The thing is Naruto had found a stash of books and magazines in the bedroom he used and some would be very useful when he got a girlfriend. The magazines are what gave him the idea for this jutsu though, it was perfect for perverts and closet perverts alike, it would shock them but that was about it. "Alright I'll give you a quick demonstration." Naruto made the seals and turned into naked blonde girl with a very nice figure in a very seductive pose. When he changed back he explained how this would work, "This should get a perverted reaction from your sensei, and if you get really good at it you should be able to knock him out from blood loss." Naruto chuckled at the last part. "Now try it!"

They worked at the jutsu for two hours straight until Konohamaru finally got the form correct. They headed back into town when they were done to get some drinks and more food. They had just come out of a grocery store when Konohamaru spoke up. "Hey Naruto-nii-san? What do you call this technique anyway?"

"You know what I don't know. I've never really thought about using it until now even. If I had to call it something I guess it would be called the Oiroke no Jutsu. Then again it isn't really a real jutsu so there's no point, I doubt it'll be of any use for me in combat either." Naruto mused.

As they rounded the corner though they came face to face with Konohamaru's sensei, the closet pervert. "Honorable Grandson I finally found you again! You better not have done anything to him Uzumaki!"

"Hey Konohamaru, why don't you try the technique I taught you on him now?" Naruto suggested with a grin.

"Hai! Oiroke no Jutsu!" Konohamaru yelled and turned into a brunnette in the same shape and pose Naruto had been.

"WHAT in the name of the Hokage is that jutsu!" Yelled the sensei with a small nosebleed forming. "That is a disgraceful jutsu! Drop it at once Honorable Grandson!"

Konohamaru changed back with a defeated look on his face. "Awwwh! It didn't work like you said it would Naruto-nii-san!"

"Hmmm, he's a tough one but I think I have a way to expose his perverted side." Naruto dropped the bag he was carrying and quickly performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, producing at least 20 more Naruto's. "Now then I call this the Harem no Jutsu!" All the Narutos yelled at once and turned into the blonde girl again. They all quickly ran toward the instructor grabbing any part of his body and yelling "Sensei!" The instructor was then jettisoned into the air from all the blood coming from his nose. Naruto quickly dispelled the clones and turned back to normal. "Wow! Guess I went a bit overboard, huh?" Naruto chuckled.

"That was awesome! I bet he feels really stupid now!" Konohamaru exclaimed looking in the direction of his sensei.

"You should probably go help him Konohamaru. Tell him if he doesn't shape up I'll come back and use that jutsu again, okay? Well I better get back to training now since I'm gonna be the next Hokage, see ya around kiddo!" Naruto picked up the groceries he had dropped and started walking away.

Konohamaru had a surprised look on his face but finally found his voice again."Wait Naruto-nii-san! If you're trying to be Hokage too then that means we're rivals from today onward!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Konohamaru and grinned at him. "Whatever kid! Keep up the training and you might be able surpass me some day!" Naruto yelled back and carried on walking.

_**'Kit I hope you're not planning on using that jutsu anymore because if you are I 'm going to stop teaching you.'**_ Kyuubi said completely serious.

_'Don't worry Kyu-sensei. That was just some fun, besides I know you liked the look on that guys face when he started flying away and don't tell me you didn't laugh.' _Replied Naruto.

_**'Fine, just don't use it for combat or in front of women. Even I might not be able to save you from what they do.' **_Naruto gulped at that and made a mental note to check who's around before using that jutsu again, if ever.**_ 'Now get back here, you've slacked off enough for today and I want my pocky.' _**Naruto just chuckled at that and continued onwards.

* * *

When Kakashi was finally done with the paperwork, team 7 got started on their training and missions. For the next few months they would gather at training ground 7 and train for the first few hours of the day, Kakashi would train Sasuke while Naruto would train Sakura. Naruto had no idea how Kakashi was training the Uchiha in but to be honest he didn't care much.

Naruto would train Sakura in chakra control, which she took to very easily as he thought she would. Finding this out he proceeded to train her strength, endurance and chakra reserves. He did this by giving her his old weights, he had to warn her not to put chakra in them in case she activated the seals, and some chakra draining exercises. He also gave her some defensive jutsus to learn and master. He also gave her a few of weak medical jutsu that he failed to master because he didn't have good enough chakra control. Once she was used to the weights he started on her taijutsu training and helped her on her form more than anything. So far she was doing good thanks to separating her from the Uchiha, they still had to train all together occasionally though in order to work on their teamwork.

The D-rank missions they were stuck doing were pretty usual things for D-rank. Picking up trash from streams, weeding peoples gardens and quite a lot of capturing a certain cat. Naruto knew exactly how many D-rank missions they had to complete before they could do anything more difficult and he was keeping count so he could request one as soon as possible. He was getting tired of doing things that normal civilians could do but were just too lazy to do, even his patience had a limit, even after all the meditation lessons with Kyuubi. There was a small advantage to the missions though, he learned to dislike Sasuke less, he was already used to Sakura from all the training he gave her.

Once the days were over Naruto would go over to Ichiraku's with Kakashi for his agreed five bowls of ramen. He'd also meet other people on the way and ask them to join them, usually it would be someone from another team who were going home, sometimes he even managed to catch Iruka there. He would often do this so no one would think he was a hermit that always stayed at home, that and even he needed some time off training. He would always be joined by Sakura, Ino and many other fan-girls, even Hinata came to Ichiraku's with him a few times but it was with her team at the time so she didn't get much alone time with him. After a while the fan-girls even stopped following him all the time because they knew they could talk to him almost anytime they wanted because he didn't keep running away like the emo-Uchiha.

After being out with someone at Ichiraku's he would go to the compound and keep up his training. He learned several offensive jutsu and even managed to create some of his own seals and copy them after some work. One thing that bugged him was Kyuubi kept bugging him to use kage bunshin to learn new jutsu, whenever Kyuubi brought this up though Naruto always gave the same answer, "I don' like using kage bunshin to learn new jutsu, Kyu-sensei. It just feels wrong to learn a jutsu like that, there's no fun in it. I'll use kage bunshin to master using it but until I can do it myself to at least some degree I won't use kage bunshin." Naruto was real stubborn about it, he liked being able to figure out the basics of a jutsu and being able to use it before he would leave it to using kage bunshin to master it.

* * *

Team 7 were walking into the Hokage's office to report on their latest mission and drop off the package, a very annoying cat that didn't like Naruto one bit so he used a smaller, and stronger, paralysis seal he created, on said cat, to keep it from hurting him anymore. As soon as he gave the cat back to its overweight owner though he released the seal for obvious reasons. He also liked to watch the cat squirm in the woman's embrace.

"Very good work Team 7! Now I have some other missions here for you, you can decide which one to take though. You can baby-sit Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping, weeding a garden-" The Hokage was cut off at that point as a shrill cry of, "TORA-CHAN COME BACK!" was heard through the open window. The Hokage carried on, "Or you can catch Tora-chan again?"

Hearing his options Naruto stepped forward with a small frown on his face, "Ojii-san, I don't mean to be disrespectful but could we please move on to C-rank missions? This was our 50th D-rank which means we should be eligible for C-rank missions now. These D-rank missions are too easy and boring."

The Hokage thought for a second and seemed to have come to a conclusion. "Alright Naruto. Since you're so eager I believe I have just the mission for Team 7. It involves escorting a bridge builder back to Nami no Kuni, the land of waves. You will depart from here as soon as possible. Now for the person you're escorting, Tazuna-san you may enter now!" The Hokage shouted so Tazuna could hear him from the other side of the door.

After a few seconds an old man with a bottle of something alcoholic in his hand and from the way he was moving, he was probably intoxicated. "What? These brats are gonna escort me? They look like they couldn't stop a kitten let a lone bandit! That short, dumb looking one looks even more useless!" The old man announced.

Naruto of course knowing his height compared to the others in the team, knew exactly who the drunkard was talking about. A small vein popped out of Naruto's forehead while he was holding himself back. "Old man I could kill you about ten different ways right now if I wanted to, so watch what you say if you know what's good for ya!" Naruto said as calmly as possible.

Kakashi, noticing the problem unravelling, quickly put his hands on Naruto's shoulders to hold him back at least a little if he decided to attack and said, "Naruto you're not allowed to kill the client so please refrain from trying." Kakashi looked to the bridge builder. "Don't worry Tazuna-san they are more than capable and I will be leading them as well, I'm an elite level jounin, you have nothing to worry about." Kakashi explained plainly.

Tazuna looked over the group again. "Fine I guess you'll do."

Kakashi did an eye-smile. "Excellent we will start tomorrow morning to allow my students time to prepare." Kakashi turned to look at the team. "We will leave from the east gate at around 9am. Make sure to get plenty of sleep and remember all your equipment. See you in the morning!" Kakashi quickly shunshined away.

"Tazuna-san, don't worry if your late tomorrow morning. Our sensei is always late by at least an hour." Naruto advised the bridge builder. Tazuna looked at him strangely, shrugged then walked off. "Man! No need to thank me or anything!" Naruto shouted after him.

"Nobody cares what you have to say Dobe. Just don't get yourself killed." Sasuke said before he walked out.

Sakura walked up to a now frowning Naruto, "What an emo. It's like he has a huge stick up his ass all the time."

Sakura looked over to Naruto and gave him a small smack on his shoulder, she didn't dare do anything else because she knew how strong and skilled he was from all the training he gave her. "Please don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that Naruto-kun."

"Fine, well you wanna grab some ramen? It's probably gonna be a couple weeks before I can get any more after tomorrow." Naruto asked with a grin. Sakura's only reply was a smile and a nod.

They walked over to Ichiraku's together as they usually do after finishing missions for the day. They managed to pick up team 8 on the way and a couple of other fan-girls. Naruto was just glad that team 8 was there as well, especially since Hinata managed to grab the seat next to him and protect him from the fan-girls. What he didn't see was her activating her Byakugan to scare the other girls away so she could have the seat. Once she turned back to Naruto though she turned back into the shy girl she usually is around Naruto.

* * *

When he got back to the compound he went at his training with a bit more enthusiasm. He was psyched up at getting a chance to go out side the village. After the usual workout, Kyuubi had him go through water jutsu that would come in use, since he was going to the wave country he figured there would be a lot of water to use for the jutsus.

The training went well and by the time he was ready to go home it was obvious he would get a good night's sleep. When he stepped up to the transport seal though he was stopped by Kyuubi. "What's up Kyu-sensei? Got some last minute advice or something?"

"**Actually Kit, I got something more useful." **Kyuubi reached into his shirt and pulled out a scroll. He set it down and unrolled it, revealing a complex seal with an empty spot in the middle. Naruto looked at it with the analysis eye and was impressed to see multiple layers of symbols. From what he saw in the symbols it was some sort of storage seal. **"I'm guessing you've figured out what kind of seal it is, seeing that you've activated you're Kekkei Genkai. It is a storage seal that I've created so that this blood clone can be stored with in it. I had to make the seal special so it could withstand my demonic chakra. Using this scroll I can come with you outside the village and help you, if you ever get in trouble outside the village but only use it if it's a dire situation, I'll even tell you when you should summon me. Well what do you think Kit?"**

Naruto looked up at Kyuubi with a frown. "But what if I'm knocked unconscious Kyu-sensei? I wouldn't be able to release you then."

"**I know, don't worry there is a way for me to release myself. You forget that I'm mentally linked to you. If I want to and you allow me to, I can see and feel everything you do. I'll know when you're in trouble. So? What are you waiting for? I need you to seal me in the scroll and keep it in one of the scroll pouches on your belt, it does no good if it's kept in your backpack." **Kyuubi stepped onto the middle of the seal while saying this. Naruto stepped up to the scroll as well and kneeled so he could channel chakra into it.

"Seal!" Naruto shouted and a large plum of smoke enveloped Kyuubi. When it cleared there was now symbol in the middle of the seal, it was a kanji for blood clone. Naruto rolled the scroll up and placed it in one of the scroll pouches on his belt. _'Think you could train me while we're out there as well Kyu-sensei?'_

_**'Only if we can find somewhere safe to do so. Otherwise there shouldn't be a problem. Now get some rest Kit you're going to need it for the traveling you're doing for the next few days.' **_Kyuubi replied. Naruto nodded to himself and went back to the apartment.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto arrived at the east gate a little before ten to see a tired looking Tazuna and a bored looking Sasuke. Sakura showed up from a different street before Naruto reached the other two and she ran up to him waving a greeting. "Ohayou Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun! Ohayou Tazuna-san." She said to everyone when she and Naruto stopped by the other two.

Sasuke 'Hn'd at her greeting while Tazuna just nodded slightly at the two. Naruto was the only one to give her a proper greeting. "Ohayou Sakura. Hey Sasuke-teme, I thought you would've learnt your lesson by now. Kakashi-sensei is always gonna be late unless it's an emergency, Why do you keep insisting on being on time?" Naruto asked the Uchiha. All he got in reply was the usual 'Hn'.

Naruto was about to ask Tazuna something, probably about why he hadn't listened to his advice, when Kakashi made the usual appearance of arriving in a puff of smoke. "Yo! Sorry I'm late but I had to help this old lady-"

"LIAR!" Both Naruto and Sakura yelled at the same time. "Kakashi-sensei could you cut that out and just let us get on with the mission?" Naruto asked in slight annoyance.

"Fine. Let's get going." Kakashi said, defeated.

They all started walking out the village after a few steps out of the gates Naruto suddenly jumped up, fist in the air and yelling, "Finally!" This, needless to say, got a little jump out of Sakura and Tazuna, Sasuke and Kakashi just came to a stop and looked at him.

Sakura got out of her shock and asked him, "What was that about Naruto-kun?"

They all started walking again when Naruto replied. "Well, this is the first time I've been outside the village walls, Sakura. I'm just excited about getting to see more of the world."

Sakura frowned as if in thought. "But we went on a few survival exercises in the academy, where we would spend time in the forest outside the walls. Didn't you do the exercises too?"

Naruto shook his head in a negative fashion. "No. I never got to do those. You had to get a permission slip signed by your parents or guardian to be allowed to do those exercises. Being an orphan there was no one to sign them for me, so I wasn't allowed to do them." Naruto shrugged. "No big loss though. I got some advice from Iruka-sensei and Ojii-san to make up for it." Naruto grinned at her.

Sakura looked at him with slight awe. _'How could he have grown up to be so cheerful without parents?' _She thought to herself. She never asked him out loud about it though and they just carried on walking.

**AUTHOR NOTE;**  
Hey guys I was just wondering, would you like me to make longer chapters or are they fine as they are? Just leave a review.


	10. A Lot of Demons in One Day

Disclaimer:

Me: Do I really have to say it?

Naruto: 'Fraid so author-san!

Me: (Sighs) Fine, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 10 – A Lot of Demons in One Day

* * *

**Last time:**

Sakura looked at him with slight awe. _'How could he have grown up to be so cheerful without parents?' _She thought to herself. She never asked him out loud about it though and they just carried on walking.

**This Chapter:**

Team 7, plus Tazuna, had been traveling for about a day and a half at this point. They were nearing the docks were they would take a small row boat across the water into the land of waves. So far there had been no attacks by bandits, robbers, not even a rabid squirrel. The night that they camped out had been uneventful and pretty safe thanks to all of Naruto's shadow clones keeping watch.

Naruto was starting to think there wouldn't be any action at all on this mission. He had all but given up until he spotted the puddle. _'Maybe this won't be as boring as I expected.' _He dropped back to talk to Kakashi. "Hey Kakashi-sensei? Do you think there's a storm coming?" Naruto asked in a cryptic manner.

Kakashi instantly picked up on his real meaning, he made an eye smile. "Looks like it Naruto. Don't tell the others though, I want to see what they think we should do." Naruto nodded and went back into formation with Sasuke and Sakura. _'Hm, he really is good. The others didn't notice the puddle and that it hasn't rained in days. Better find out what those ninja want though, I had a feeling Tazuna was keeping something from us.' _Kakashi thought as he went through hand signs for the Kawarimi no Jutsu.

Naruto felt them coming, he could feel the chakra and smell the poison on their weapons. By the time every one else heard their attack and turned around to watch Kakashi get sliced to bits, he also saw the Kawarimi that he pulled off.

Sakura looked panicked at how her sensei had just been killed, when she came back to her senses a split-second later she went to protect Tazuna and went through hand signs to summon a protective wall of earth shouting, "Stay behind me Tazuna-san. Doton: Daichi Hei no Jutsu!". It was exactly the same jutsu Naruto had used against Sasuke, the only difference was Sakura's wall was shorter and not as wide but still large enough to cover the two of them.

Naruto dashed at the ninja to his right, bringing up his left hand getting ready to release the blade. The metal on the gauntlet met with the chain in a resounding clang. He quickly released the blade and made an uppercut punch action slicing the chain. He condensed the chakra armor surrounding his right hand and slammed it into the ninja's arm, there was an audible crack and the arm bent out of shape. While the ninja was nursing his arm, Naruto crouched low to the ground and brought his leg up in a violent kick to the ninja's jaw sending him skyward. Using this chance he grabbed something from his pouch and threw them on the ground where he estimated the ninja to land. They were caltrops, to small to actually cause harm but good for hindering people running away from something, that is until Naruto activated his jutsu and the caltrops grew in size creating a death field of spikes. Needless to say the ninja died when he was impaled upon several of the spikes. Naruto looked at the spikes and said in a low voice, "Makibishi Baika no Jutsu." He couldn't help but feel a slight bit of guilt over killing the ninja, he also felt a little queasy at the sight of the blood and guts. Kyuubi had already talked to him about killing enemies and killing in general, how the state of mind during and after the kill determined if you killed for self-defence or because you just felt like it. From what Kyuubi told him, he figured he had killed for the right reasons and from the guilt he was feeling, he would not become a killing machine as he was afraid of becoming but it still didn't feel right. He quickly cancelled the jutsu and let the body fall to the ground, he gathered up the caltrops that weren't covered by the body and turned to see that Sasuke had also dealt with his opponent.

* * *

**A few seconds earlier;**

Sasuke jumped and threw a kunai at what was left of the chain and pinned it to the ground. He landed behind the ninja and threw a back-heel kick to his head with enough force to snap the chain from the gauntlet the ninja was wearing and making him turn 180 degrees. He then followed up with a knee thrust into the ninja's stomach effectively knocking him out.

* * *

"Alright Kakashi-sensei come on out!" Sasuke heard someone shout from over his shoulder. It was Naruto he had finished with his opponent.

"What are you talking about Dobe? Kakashi-sensei was killed by these two." Sasuke stated rather coldly.

"Do you really have such little faith in your sensei, Sasuke? Maybe I should stop teaching you if you believe I would die that easily." Kakashi said as he appeared behind Sasuke.

Sakura lowered her earth wall and was surprised to see her sensei still alive. "Kakashi-sensei!" She had a slight gloss to her forehead, she'd been sweating from the stress of keeping the wall up.

"Yo! Good work Sakura, you went straight in to defend Tazuna. That was pretty interesting jutsu as well, did Naruto teach it to you?" Kakashi asked in a chipper tone.

Sakura wiped her brow quickly and nodded her head with a 'mh-hm'. "He said it's good for blocking wide ranged attacks as well as direct attacks so I thought it would be best against the chain those two had." Sakura gasped as her eyes fell on the body of Naruto's opponent. She had to look away quickly and covered her mouth to try and keep her breakfast down.

"Good choice. If you need to throw up don't be ashamed a lot of people can't handle that kind of thing." Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Good work taking down your opponent, very smooth Sasuke." Kakashi finally turned to Naruto and his kill. "Congratulations Naruto, your first kill. I have to say that was an interesting combo. You better seal that blade back as well you won't be needing for now." Kakashi told Naruto.

Naruto looked down to his left arm and noticed he still had the blade out, he quickly resealed it. "What do we do with the body, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked in a grim tone.

Kakashi walked to the body, took out a scroll and opened it on the floor next to the body. He quickly sealed the body. "We'll be sending the body back to Konoha so they can examine it and see if there's anything useful like antidotes we've never seen before. It will also be a requirement to confirm your kill." Kakashi stood up, turned to face Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel guilty Naruto, you killed him out of self defence and to ensure a successful mission."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto replied with a nod. Kakashi saying that out loud had actually helped Naruto, the feeling of killing the nin being wrong went away slightly at hearing Kakashi's words.

"Now I better tie the other guy up and send a message back to Konoha so the ANBU can pick him up. Oh, and Tazuna once I'm done with that, your gonna tell me everything." Kakashi said eyeing the old man.

* * *

In a few minutes the ninja was tied to a tree and the leaf nins were looking expectantly at Tazuna. "Well Tazuna you can tell us willingly or I can force it out of you. Make your choice quickly."

Tazuna waved his hands out in front of him in defeat. "Alright I'll tell you! There's a crooked business man in the land of waves. You've probably heard of him he's pretty well known already. His name's Gatoh."

Kakashi spoke up. "Yes I've heard of him, he's a business tycoon. Likes to handle marine transport, he's also head of The Gatoh Company. He's currently one of the richest men in the world."

"Yes, well marine transport is only the front for his real work. He smuggles drugs and all kinds of contraband, he takes over companies and runs many illegal business' as well. In truth he's more of a mobster than a business man." Tazuna explained. "When he came to the Land of Waves he used violence and money to completely take over our sea traffic and marine transport, hiring ninja's and thugs to do his dirty work. In a country like the Land of Waves our economy depends on marine transport for import and export. When Gatoh took that over he started charging everyone ridiculous prices and our economy suffered. Now he wants to stop me from finishing the bridge."

"Because if you finish that bridge Gatoh will no longer be in control. You'll be able to accept goods from any traveling merchants and sell your wares to travelers, eventually your economy would do better." Kakashi put in.

"Right. That's also why I didn't mention the chance of a ninja attack, we simply cannot afford anuthing above a C-Rank mission." Tazuna finished with a grim look on his face.

"Well since this mission is ranked too high for my team we'll head back to Konoha with the ANBU when they get here." Kakashi stated in a monotone. "You're welcome to join us or head on back to your home. Your choice."

"Kakashi-sensei! We can't leave this Gatoh guy to keep doing what he's doing. It's just not right! For me, this mission is still on!" Naruto announced with his usual confidence.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto there's no shame in backing down from a mission that's too difficult for your level. You three aren't ready for a mission of this difficulty yet. The next time they attack Tazuna it will probably be with more chunin or even a few jounin. I can't protect you three and Tazuna from that many ninja."

"But we just took on two chunin level nins with next to no trouble, Kakashi-sensei! If we're not ready now when will we be ready? The life of a shinobi is always full of danger if we don't face it now we'll just be more nervous next time. I say we carry on the mission." Naruto said with confidence.

"But Naruto we're not even getting full pay for this mission." Kakashi argued.

"Is it always about the money? We don't need a reason to help these people, Kakashi-sensei. They need help and we can provide it, so why don't we?" Naruto looked at Kakashi in a questioning manner.

Sakura looked at Naruto with even more awe if that was at all possible. Sasuke just looked indifferent he would follow his sensei either way. Kakashi looked at his three charges and then at Tazuna. From the looks he was getting he just couldn't drop this mission. He sighed heavily, "Okay, we'll carry on with the mission. Remember though I can't guarantee your safety if we come across a lot of ninja. Seeing as we're going, Naruto leave some clones to watch over this guy." He pointed at the unconscious ninja. "I'll also leave the scroll with your kill with one of your clones so you can give it to an ANBU. Get ready to move out I have feeling we're gonna have a lot of trouble."

Naruto created four earth clones to watch the nin and had one carry the scroll with his kill. The group then set off toward their destination. Just as a precaution, Naruto created some shadow clones and henged them to look like wild animals. He ordered them to keep watch around them as they traveled.

* * *

Elsewhere, a small pudgy man was standing in a doorway and yelling at a much taller man. "They failed! And against a couple of brats no less? From the amount of money I'm paying you, you should've had no problem taking out the old man!"

"Hn. The demon brothers seemed to be overrated. Don't worry I'll take care of this myself." The taller man stated as he picked an enormous sword like it was a feather and placed it on his back.

"Just don't fail again or I'm not paying you!" The small man replied.

The taller just shimmered away with one thought on his mind, _'Annoying shrimp.'_During the boat trip he created some water clones under water and had them keep watch from there while his shadow clones walked across the water.

* * *

When they got ashore he cancelled the water clones and found that nothing suspicious had been seen so far. It should have made him feel better but it made him feel worse, it felt like the calm before the storm. From what he could feel, it would be a hell of a storm.

They carried on walking towards Tazuna's home and everything seemed fine until Naruto suddenly got the memories of a clone that had dispelled itself. The clone had apparently seen a rogue nin with a huge sword and a face covered in bandages standing in a tree a few hundred yards ahead.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei! We got trouble up ahead!" Naruto told Kakashi as he waved everyone to stop.

"How do you know Dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I've had some shadow clones disguised as animals checking out our surrounding area since I found out there would be more ninja on this mission. One of them just dispelled itself and from what I could see there's a rouge nin a few hundred yards ahead, he has a huge sword on him and I'm sure he knows how to use it." Naruto explained.

"Alright, good work Naruto. I want you three to stay protecting Tazuna when we go against this guy, I'll take him on." Kakashi ordered.

"But, Kakashi-sensei, why don't we just go around him and avoid a fight completely?" Sakura asked.

"Because if we do that Sakura the enemy will just come back later. It's better to take care of him now and get it over with." Naruto explained. "Right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, "Exactly Naruto."

They set off and after a few more minutes of walking came to a very dense mist.

* * *

_'So Kakashi of the Sharingan was on their team. I guess I can't blame the Demon brothers for losing against them. This should be an interesting fight!' _The man with the huge sword thought as he moved in on the unsuspecting leaf nins.

* * *

They could barely see a few feet in front of them when Kakashi and Naruto screamed, "GET DOWN, NOW!" at the same time.

Everyone quickly dropped to the ground only for a large sword to come flying overhead. The leaf nins quickly got back up and Sakura helped Tazuna to his feet. Naruto and Kakashi however were looking at where the sword had landed, for now a nin had appeared standing on the blades hilt.

"I see, you're Momochi Zabuza, also known as the Demon of the Mist, an exiled ninja of Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. So you're the one we have to protect Tazuna-san from, I was hoping for an easy day. I guess I'll have to make do with this." Kakashi said in his monotone.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan. There was a profile on you in our bingo book back in Kirigakure, we had an order to kill you on sight. You were also listed as the man who had copied over a thousand jutsu, giving you the second nickname of the copycat nin. I'm guessing you won't just hand over the old man?" Zabuza asked Kakashi.

* * *

_'Kakashi of the Sharingan! Only some members of the Uchiha clan had a Sharingan, why would Kakashi-sensei have it?' _Sasuke thought looking at his teacher.

* * *

"Afraid not. I'm gonna need to use _this_ to fight you by the looks of things." Kakashi said as he reached up and uncovered his left eye revealing the Sharingan.

"I'm honored you feel that you must fight at your fullest to take me down. I'm afraid you won't have time to use it though." Zabuza disappeared as soon as the final word left his mouth. Not only that but the mist started to thicken.

"Protect Tazuna! Don't drop you're guard for a second! Zabuza is a master of the silent killing technique, he could kill you in an instant and you never know until you were dead. His first target will probably be me." Kakashi informed the three genin.

After a few more seconds of waiting, the mist thickened enough to make Kakashi invisible to his team and client who were only a few feet away. Naruto was about to call out to his sensei when Zabuza's voice pierced through the mist. "Eight points; Larynx, Spine, Lungs, Liver, Jugular, Sub-clavian Artery, Kidneys, Heart. Which one shall be my kill point?"

Naruto looked around trying to pinpoint where the voice came from. He finally gave up and expelled a lot of his chakra through his tenketsu, effectively clearing the mist close to them and allowing them to see Kakashi again. Kakashi turned to look at Naruto. "Thanks for that. I would have done that myself but you did it first, that saved me some chakra."

What that burst of chakra managed to cover up was Naruto's Kawarimi no Jutsu. He had used it quickly to swap places with one of the clones still in the area. He ended up in a tree a few hundred yards from the rest of the team. He looked over the area, trying to find where their enemy was.

Kakashi looked over to Sasuke, he was shaking and gripping his kunai tightly. What happened next annoyed the jounin slightly, Sasuke had started drawing his kunai up to his throat. _'The chance of being killed at any second without even realizing it. The air feels heavy like it's trying to suffocate me. I'd rather just-' _The thought was cut off.

"SASUKE! Snap out of it! You have your team here, we're here to watch your back. Don't worry you're not dying on my watch." Kakashi shouted over to the Uchiha.

Sasuke visibly relaxed after Kakashi's lecture. He instantly tensed up again though, at the next thing he saw though. Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and swung his huge sword diagonally through Kakashi's right shoulder. Sasuke had expected a spray of blood or at least some sound of pain, he did not expect his sensei to suddenly turn into water. "Sorry, Zabuza, you're gonna have to try harder than that!" Came Kakashi's voice from behind the demon of the mist.

"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu? I see you'd already copied it. Very skillful making your clone say that speech so as to draw my attention." Zabuza stated in a cold voice.

Kakashi dug a kunai into Zabuza's back, instead of dying though Zabuza burst into water. "And you've created more than one." Kakashi stated in a monotone.

"Of course." Came Zabuza's voice, again, behind Kakashi. He brought his sword down in the same movement as his clone only to have it blocked by Kakashi's kunai. "Good. If you'd used another clone I'd be annoyed." Zabuza quickly stepped back and brought his sword down in the opposite direction causing Kakashi to duck. The sword flew over Kakashi's head and dug into the ground. Zabuza quickly shifted his grip on the hilt and used the leverage to bring up a powerful kick sending Kakashi crashing into a body of water.

_'Wait there's something about this water, it's denser, heavier than it should be. Not a good idea to be in the water right now!' _Kakashi thought as his head broke the surface.

Zabuza appeared behind the gray-haired jounin, he sped through hand seals and shouted out his jutsu. "Suiro no Jutsu!" Kakashi was enveloped in the water and quickly trapped in a sphere that was held by Zabuza's right hand. "Now to get rid of your little brats, Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

_'He's more skilled than I anticipated! The others can't handle this!' _Kakashi looked to his students and shouted out his order. "Take the bridge builder and run, this guy is on a whole other level, you can't win this!"

* * *

_'Yeah, right! Retreat was out of the question as soon as you were caught. Our only chance is to get you out of the prison.' _Sasuke thought without conviction. He quickly broke into a dash, followed a second later by who he thought was the real Naruto, going straight for the water clone. He quickly threw a few shuriken at the clone and leapt into the air.

The Zabuza clone swiped his sword at the shuriken knocking them all away. The clone was now met with the sight of a short blonde dashing at him on the ground and a kid with dark hair falling from the sky. _'Easy.' _Thought the clone.

Sasuke reached the Zabuza clone first, trying to dispel it with a flying kick. He was stopped short of his target though when the clone brought an arm up and caught him by the throat. He was also held up high enough to see 'Naruto' get a swift kick from the Zabuza clone only to disappear with a puff of smoke. _'He was using a shadow clone to attack this guy! Wait if that was a shadow clone then where's the real one? I knew it, he's a coward! He left a shadow clone and high tailed it to somewhere safe!' _Sasuke thought, his anger growing at the blonde despite the crushing pain at his throat.

* * *

Naruto was looking on with fear, not of losing his life to Zabuza but to losing his teammate. He quickly formed a plan and summoned several more shadow clones in various places, one being right next to him. He quickly henged himself into a kunai and set his plan in motion.

* * *

Sakura was looking on with horror at what was happening in front of her. _'Where's Naruto I'm sure he wouldn't abandon us like this. Maybe I should do what Kakashi sensei said and run with the bridge builder. NO! I can't leave Sasuke like that! I've got to do something.' _She thought and was about to charge the clone herself when three kunai where launched at the Zabuza clone from several spots in the woods . _'It's Naruto! I knew he wouldn't just run away like that.' _She watched on as the clone brought up his sword to block the kunai. What happened next shocked and awed her and the Zabuza clone as the three kunai turned into three Narutos, one latched itself onto the arm holding Sasuke and slashed at it with his blade unsealed on one of the gauntlets. Sasuke was immediately dropped as the water clone was dispelled. A second Naruto caught the falling Sasuke and dashed into the forest for cover. The third Naruto just stood facing the real Zabuza in the middle of the lake. Sakura had hoped to see more only to feel the tug of the Kawarimi no Jutsu and find herself sitting on the floor next to Tazuna with several more Narutos standing near the two. "Naruto, I knew you wouldn't just leave us to fight like that!" She squealed silently at one of the blondes.

"Shhhh, Sakura! We're only clones, we were ordered to help you protect Tazuna-san from the cover of the forest, incase there are any more ninja on Zabuza's side. We were told to follow your command since we're only clones though." A clone quickly explained.

Sakura nodded and with haste told each clone to take up a look out spot in the trees while she stayed by Tazuna's side, kunai in one hand and the other ready to form any hand-seals she may need, in short, she was ready for damn near anything. She looked at the aged bridge builder and offered a smile. "Don't worry Tazuna-san. Naruto and Sasuke will help us get out of this I know they will." The truth was, she believed every word that came out of her mouth. She believed they would get the whole team out of this trouble.

* * *

Naruto just stood in the clearing defiantly, simply watching as Zabuza created another water clone. "More shadow clones huh? Guess I'll just have to make you go poof to." Zabuza announced with a slight viciousness in his voice.

"Actually you'll find that I'm the real deal. I'm hear to teach you the lesson of never hurting my teammates like you did to Sasuke back there." Naruto announced. He reached back into one of his utility pouches.

Kakashi's eyes widened and started shouting out orders again. "Naruto I told you guys to get out of here!"

"'Fraid I can't do that sensei. As soon as you were caught our top priority became your release. Don't worry about Tazuna-san, he's safe." Naruto brought his hand back out of his pouch. Each of his finger tips now had a ball bearing the size of a molar stuck to it. "You on the other hand Zabuza are gonna be witnessing one of my techniques first-hand." Naruto brought the hand with the ball bearings out in front of him holding his wrist with the opposite hand.

"And what exactly do you plan on doing with those insignificant specks? Gonna try and shoot me with them or something? Hah! I'd like to see that!" Zabuza jeered.

"Actually, yeah!" Naruto shot the ball bearing on his pinky straight at the water clone and it dissolved into a puddle of water. He followed that up by firing the remaining three at Zabuza. Who quickly caught one headed for his eye with his free hand while one landed in his chest and the last hit the bicep of the arm holding the water prison. Naruto thought back to when he created this attack.

_Flashback_

_Naruto was in the middle of the ninjutsu training area, he was currently facing off a single clone. He had already gotten used to spinning his chakra for a short and sharp attack, currently he was training on long drawn out attacks. He was doing it by having the clone try and drive a kunai through his chest while he kept the chakra spinning. It was taking quite a lot of concentration. After about ten minutes of keeping the kunai at bay it started to glow a dull red colour and the point started to flatten against spinning chakra._

_Kyuubi had chosen that moment to take interest in what Naruto was doing. **"Huh. That's interesting. It seems your chakra is spinning fast enough to heat the metal until it's malleable, with nothing more than friction, that's pretty impressive."**_

_Naruto called off the clone and turned to face Kyuubi. "So my chakra is dense enough to do that huh? Hey Kyu-sensei, if I can use the armor to keep things away from my skin do you think I could use it to keep something close to my skin as long as I spin the chakra?"_

_Kyuubi thought for a second. **"I suppose, theoretically, yes. If you place something between your skin and the layer of chakra and spin your chakra you would be able to hold it there. But as you just saw anything touching the spinning chakra will heat up from the friction."**_

_Naruto let a grin break on to his face. "That's what I'm counting on. Kyu-sensei, I know you said I wasn't allowed to learn any of the explosive seals 'till I was chunin but could you maybe let me learn a small one?"_

"_**How small exactly?" **Kyuubi asked raising an eyebrow._

"_Small enough to fit on a ball bearing about the diameter of my fingernail, which brings me to my next question do we have any ball bearings that big anywhere?" Naruto, still with a grin on his face suddenly had a twinkle in his eye and Kyuubi, of course noticed this and broke into his own grin._

"_**Have I ever told you how impressed I am with that deviant little mind of yours, Kit?" **Kyuubi replied._

_Flashback end_

"Huh. And here I thought that was actually gonna be an intere- HRK! WHAT THE-!" Zabuza failed to get the full sentence out as the three ball bearings started searing into his flesh and embedding themselves into his skin. When the burning feeling finally cooled and the balls seemed to stop he turned back to the blonde, a wave of killing intent was sent straight at him. "I'll admit that caught me off guard brat but it did nothing more than piss me off! Now I'll be sure to make your death slow and painful."

Naruto quickly employed his foxy grin at Zabuza's threat. "Hey give me a second the attack isn't even over yet!" Naruto brought his hand into seal and yelled, "KAI!" A split-second later all three ball bearings blew up, not huge explosions, but enough to cause some gaping wounds. Zabuza gave a loud growl of pain but kept his hold on the sphere of water. "Damn! I was hoping you'd drop the prison from that attack. Guess you've got a really strong will to keep on holding it with a wound like that."

Zabuza glared at the kid with open hatred. He was feeling a lot of pain and knew he was lucky to still have a hand in the sphere. "CONGRATULATIONS GAKI! You just made your death sixty percent more painful!" Zabuza growled. He created three water clones and gave them a single order, "GET THE BRAT!"

As the three closed on him he performed a kawarimi mid-dodge and gave a silent order for the two disguised as Sakura and Tazuna to transform back and join the fight. He then found himself next to Sasuke.

* * *

In a tree, across the body of water, a ninja wearing a mask watched the fight unfold. He had almost jumped into the fight when the explosions happened. He held back, though, because his mentor was not yet in a life threatening situation. He went back to silently watching the fight.

* * *

"Alright Sasuke you think you can distract him long enough with your special shuriken?" Naruto asked the Uchiha, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Yeah, Dobe! Though I still don't understand why I am the one used for a distraction, again!" Sasuke spat back, obviously not liking his role in the plan.

"Because, long-range attacks only seem to distract him. To get Kakashi out of that sphere someone has to get up close and use their chakra to disrupt the sphere long enough for him to escape. And unlike you I have the perfect attack to disrupt the sphere. Now get going!" Naruto reasoned with the Uchiha. Sasuke glared at him quickly and went off to get closer to the fight to make his entrance and attack.

* * *

Back with Zabuza and the clones. The water clones had taken care of the shadow clones although now there was only one water clone left after the fight. It looked around, trying to find more enemies. It was eventually rewarded with the sight of a dark haired genin leaping, out of the bushes in front of him, high into the air.

When Sasuke finally reached the peak of his jump, he flicked his wrist slightly and what he was carrying unfolded. When each appendage had clicked into place, finally showing the item to be a large shuriken. Each blade with only one side sharpened giving the shuriken a slightly vicious look. Sasuke cocked his arm back and shouted out, "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" He hurled the shuriken at Zabuza.

Zabuza just stared at the incoming projectile. "A shuriken? Show some originality, at least that other kid was able catch me off guard with his weird attack." Zabuza jeered the Uchiha. Once the shuriken got close enough he used his bloodied left hand to grab it by the center ring and fold it back up in mid flight. He then noticed the second shuriken that had been flying in the first's shadow and used the first to deflect it. "I'll admit that wasn't bad, using the first shuriken's shadow to hide a second and hope to catch me off guard. Wasn't a bad idea but I was little more cautious after that first kid. I'm not taking any chances around you brats anymore."

* * *

What Zabuza didn't see and Kakashi did though was a blade that seemed to be made entirely of chakra rising silently out of the water. _'I really hope it's Naruto or Sakura under the water or I'm dead.' _Thought the gray haired jounin.

* * *

Under the water was a very frustrated Naruto. He had activated the fox eye jutsu so he could see the chakra and manipulate it easier. What frustrated him, was having to keep himself in place under the water by waving his free hand. It was making controlling the chakra blade pretty difficult but he managed. _'Come on, just a little closer and I can cut that sphere wide open.' _Naruto stretched his blade a little more, the tip just reaching the sphere. _'Alright, NOW!' _He pushed up quickly, being sure to move the blade away from the sphere as soon as it pierced it, careful not to hurt his sensei.

* * *

Zabuza felt the sudden movement in the water below him. He also saw the glowing blue blade that was cutting it's way through the water prison. Finally he felt the relief in his arm from letting go of the weight it was forced to carry even when it was damaged. Noticing the danger of the situation he brought the folded shuriken down on where Kakashi's head was only to have it blocked by one of the gray haired jounins plated gloves.

"Sorry for getting caught so easily guys. Good job at getting me out of the prison by the way. I'll take care of Zabuza now. Naruto, you better get out of the water now." Kakashi said looking at the blond haired genin in the water.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei he's already gone, he used a kawarimi to swap places with me." Replied the clone before poofing out of existence.

"Good." Kakashi looked back into Zabuza's eyes and his own eyes hardened. "Now then, that technique won't work on me again. So, what's it gonna be?" Kakashi asked lazily.

* * *

Damn that chapter just did not want to end. Oh, and if you don't get what happened with the ball bearings even after the flashback thing then you're morons. (Kidding)

Aw well hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	11. Battle's Over but not the War

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Naruto. Believe it, whatever. ON TO THE FICTION!

Chapter 11 – Battle's Over But The War Isn't

* * *

**Last time:**

"Good." Kakashi looked back into Zabuza's eyes and his own eyes hardened. "Now then, that technique won't work on me again. So, what's it gonna be?" Kakashi asked lazily.

**This Chapter:**

The two jounin quickly jumped apart creating some distance. Zabuza started on some hand-seals, while Kakashi's sharingan went into action and copied them for him. Kakashi was soon going through the same hand-seals at a faster pace.

Naruto was kneeling down on a tree branch watching the fight. About ten seconds into the hand-seal sequence Naruto came to a realization. _'I know this sequence! I know this jutsu!' _Naruto started going through hand-seals as well, a little faster than the two on the water. _'This should help surprise that Zabuza guy, hopefully it'll keep him occupied long enough for Kakashi-sensei to take care of him.'_

Kakashi and Zabuza finally finished the hand-seals, finishing on a bird seal. Both jounin shouted the technique out and activated it at the same time. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" Two masses of water in the shape of dragons raised out of the water and entwined into each other, biting and attacking each other in the process. In the middle of the chaos the two jounin met underneath the two dragons, Zabuza trying to attack with his sword Kakashi defending with a kunai.

Sasuke was staring wide eyed at the show in front of him. The water clone had been dispelled when Zabuza dropped Kakashi, much to Sasuke's relief. _'He copied each and every hand-seal perfectly! He even pulled the jutsu off exactly the same as his opponent. Such is the power of the sharingan, I must awaken mine as soon as possible!' _Thought the young Uchiha.

Another couple of seconds of the stand-off and the two jounin leapt from each other again. _'How did he do that? He pulled it off at the exact same time! Maybe...' _Zabuza broke his train of thought and holstered his sword to his back. He then did a light jog in a circular motion, which Kakashi copied at the exact same time. _'How is he doing this? Can he-'_

"-read your mind?" Kakashi finished the thought.

_'How did he do that? No matter I'll get him with-' _Zabuza's train of thought was again broken but not by Kakashi. His train of thought halted when a third water dragon appeared in front of him, it was the same as the last two dragons except with one major difference, it was bigger, much bigger. Zabuza froze for a second leaving his incomplete jutsu hanging. _'When did he do that and how did he make it so big?' _

Kakashi was wide eyed for a moment looking at the dragon in front of him. He quickly snapped back to the fight and used Zabuza's shock to his advantage. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" The jutsu created a large torrent of water that almost completely enveloped the dragon and swept Zabuza away.

_'How did he do that? I was about to use that jutsu!' _Thought Zabuza as he was swept away. He finally came to a stop by being slammed into a tree. His moment of relaxation was quickly finished when the water dragon clamped it's jaws around Zabuza and pinning him to the tree, he let out a howl of pain. Zabuza then looked up to see Kakashi kneeling on a tree branch. "How? Can you... see into the future?" Zabuza asked weakly.

Kakashi looked down on Zabuza. "Yes, I see this as your last fight." Kakashi replied, bringing his kunai down ready to slit Zabuza's throat and get rid of him as a threat. At least he would have slit Zabuza's throat if two senbon hadn't suddenly embedded themselves into Zabuza's neck.

When Naruto saw the senbon, he was so shocked he dropped the water dragon jutsu. Leaving the body to fall to the ground. He appeared in the clearing in a split second staring at the body. Sakura chose that moment to also come out of hiding, pushing through some bushes, Tazuna following in her wake. Sasuke was already there from his attack earlier, he had narrowed his eyes and was openly glaring at the body.

They were all surprised though to see another nin with a mask appear in a tree a little ways away from them. "Thank you for your help. It truly was his last battle." Announced the mysterious nin.

Kakashi jumped lazily from the tree and kneeled next to Zabuza's body. He pressed his index and middle finger to Zabuza's neck, checking for a pulse. "No vital signs."

"I've been tracking Zabuza for some time now, waiting for the right moment to take him down." The mysterious nin told the group.

"From your mask, I can tell you're a hunter nin from the hidden mist village." Kakashi stated to the hunter nin, standing up and stepping away from the body.

_'A hunter nin huh? That's what they look like. That kinda explains the fast kill but there's something strange about this.'_ Naruto thought.

"You are well informed. I am indeed a hunter nin, thank you again for your help." The hunter nin disappeared in a gust of wind and reappeared next to the body. "I will take care of the remains now."

Another gust of wind came along but before the nin disappeared with the body, Naruto burst forward yelling at the nin. "Wait a second your supposed to take care of the body where it falls." Halfway through his yell though the nin disappeared with Zabuza. "DAMMIT! We have to get to your house Tazuna-san! Which way and how far is it?"

Everyone looked at Naruto like he was possessed until all eyes went to Kakashi's prone form on floor, apparently having collapsed. Naruto was at his side in a second, he covered up Kakashi's left eye with the headband and turned to Sakura. "Sakura! Diagnostic jutsu, quickly!"

Sakura was there in a second already flashing through hand-seals and finally hovering her hand just above Kakashi's body, a light green glow coming from her hand. She passed her hand over Kakashi's prone body a couple of times and finally brought her hand down to her side with a quiet sigh. "He's okay Naruto-senpai. It's just exhaustion, he needs rest."

Sasuke looked on in amazement. _'Since when has she been able to do that! And what's with the senpai at the end of Naruto's name?'_

Naruto sighed heavily. "I thought as much, probably used the sharingan for too long. Thanks, Sakura." Naruto did a flick of his wrist and suddenly two clones appeared from the forest. "Pick him up and prepare for a shunshin." Naruto ordered the clones pointing to Kakashi. "Now I'll ask again, which way and how far is it to your house, Tazuna-san?"

Tazuna stared for a second and then came to his senses. "Oh! About four or five miles that way." He replied, pointing to seemingly random direction through the forest.

"Okay." Naruto did another flick of his wrist and another clone came from the forest. "Saw where he was pointing?" The clone nodded. "Good. Head that way until you find his home, take look around and then dispel yourself I need to know where I'm going for a shunshin. Now, go!" The clone just disappeared at that. No smoke, he just disappeared. "Okay, it should take a couple of minutes until I get the information I need. Tazuna-san, Sakura and Sasuke-teme, put a hand on my shoulder and brace yourselves. If this is your first shunshin it might feel a little rough." Naruto started going through hand-seals.

Sasuke watched as Sakura and Tazuna obediently put a hand on each of Naruto's shoulder's. "Why should I take your orders, Dobe? You're not team leader." Sasuke stated coldly.

"It's no order Sasuke. If you want to run to his home by yourself be my guest. I'll leave some clones in the surrounding forest to watch over you. This is just a suggestion since I can get us to our destination quickly and our jounin leader is unconscious, we're pretty vulnerable. Now either put your hand on my shoulder or start running." Naruto replied.

Sasuke glared at Naruto for a second, 'hmphed' and put a hand on one of Naruto's shoulder's. "I'm not following your order, I'd just rather get there in an instant than have to run through the forest." Sasuke quickly stated.

Naruto just had a slight grin which he dropped suddenly as if in concentration. "Alright the bunshin just dispelled itself. Hang on tight!" Naruto performed a final hand-seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke with everyone else in tow. A second later and the two holding Kakashi disappeared as well.

* * *

A puff of smoke appeared in front of a house on some docks. When the smoke cleared two people staggered forward and almost fell over until Naruto stepped forward and steadied them. "Whoa! Watch it guys, I told you to brace yourselves!" Naruto told the two in a comforting voice.

Sakura put her hands on her knees and started breathing deeply. Tazuna just stayed standing, apparently already over the disorientation, probably from practice, being drunk and having to sober up. Sasuke just stood where they had landed, looking uninterested.

"Okay guys, get inside. I'm gonna set up my clones to watch the surrounding area. And Sasuke it's just a suggestion as usual, you can go train or whatever if you want. I'll be inside in a few minutes to explain why we had to get here as fast as possible." At that, Naruto dashed into the forest and his clones started for the house eager to get Kakashi to a bed so he can rest.

"Come on then, I'll get a futon out for your sensei. My daughter and grandson will be happy to hear that I got some good ninja to help." Tazuna told the remaining two. They all walked in after Tazuna.

* * *

As soon as the clones had gotten Kakashi to a bed they dispelled themselves. Sakura used another diagnostic jutsu and checked him over more thoroughly. Sasuke on the other hand just sat down in the dining area and kept quiet.

After almost ten minutes Naruto finally returned and called Sakura into the dining area. He then sat down himself, directly across from Sakura. "Alright, how's Kakashi-sensei doing?" Naruto asked Sakura as she sat down.

"He's fine. He's still resting, he'll probably wake up in a day, or less even." Sakura answered.

"Good. I've got some shadow clones in the forest surrounding the shore and some water clones in the water around the docks. If anyone who is not recognized as a friend approaches the house, they'll be attacked on sight by the water clones. Each clone can last a good few days if they don't use jutsu so I'll have to replenish them later on." Naruto took a deep breath. "As for why we needed to get here quickly. Zabuza isn't dead."

Sasuke's eyes widened, Sakura gasped and Tazuna's only sign of surprise was a confused, "Huh?"

"That hunter nin was a fake and probably working for Zabuza. Think about it, hunter nin are supposed to dispose of the body of a rouge ninja wherever he or she was killed. This is to ensure no mistakes are made and absolutely nothing is left behind. That hunter nin though, picked up Zabuza's body and took it somewhere else. The weapons he used were also abnormal for a hunter nin, do you remember what they were?" Naruto asked with a solemn look.

Sasuke and Sakura nodded. "He was using throwing needles, senbon." Sasuke stated.

"They're just needles usually used for medicinal purposes like, acupuncture, that have been modified." Sakura explained.

"That's right. Hunter nins are also trained to know the human body, inside and out. That's what I've read anyway. If that's true then it should be pretty easy for a hunter nin to use senbon and hit pressure points that will temporarily stop the heart and put a person in a death state." Naruto looked to each of his teammates faces. Both of them were staring at him intently. "It'll probably be a while before he can fight at his fullest though. A week or so to recover from the temporary death state, stopping the heart is nothing to laugh at. Those deep wounds on his right arm, chest and left hand however, may or may not slow the recovery time down. It depends if that other nin knows any healing jutsu, if he did, that means we still have the week time limit. If not, then we may have another couple of days before the wounds close up enough for him to fight. All we can do at the moment is wait for Kakashi-sensei to wake up and give us more orders." He finished.

Sakura was openly gawking at Naruto. "Naruto, how do you know all this? At the academy, you acted like you didn't know anything and you kept getting low scores on your tests."

Naruto broke into a grin. "Simple, I was holding back at the academy. I would've thought you figured that out already, Sakura. After all, I have been training you for a couple of months now."

"Yes, well, I just thought you were really good with physical training and practical things. I didn't think you were smart as well." Sakura replied meekly.

Naruto chuckled lightly. "You gotta look underneath the underneath, Sakura. A good example would be Shino, do you remember where he placed in the academy in terms of grades?"

Sakura adopted a thinking pose for a second. "Yeah, I remember, he was average. He placed somewhere in the middle of the class."

Naruto chuckled again. "Well, I can tell you right now he was better than he let on. Kiba told me every time he sparred with Shino, he would lose. In the academy though, Shino would lose about half his matches. One of the people he lost his matches to was Kiba, every time me was matched against Kiba he would lose. Now he wins all the time, which means he was better than he was letting on. Now he's out of the academy, he's showing his true skill and strength, just like me." Naruto chuckled again at the look on Sakura's face, the glare he was getting from Sasuke and the look of confusion on Tazuna's face, who was trying to follow their conversation.

"How can you be laughing? You're gonna die if you go against Gatoh and his guys." A small boy announced as he entered the dining area with his mother.

"Inari! How can you say such things to the people who kept your Ojii-san safe!?" His mother scorned.

Tazuna, completely ignoring what the child, known as Inari, said. Opened his arms in an invitation for a hug while shouting. "Inari!"

Inari ran to Tazuna and embraced him in a hug, shouting just as his grandfather had. "Ojii-san!" After a few seconds of this heart-warming reunion, they separated and Inari's mother looked to the addition at the table.

"Hello there, I'm Tsunami, Inari-kun's mother and Tazuna's daughter. I have already been introduced to your teammates and sensei when some of your... clones, as Sakura-chan called them, brought in your sensei and your teammates followed. I felt it would be better to introduce myself to the real you." Tsunami explained as she bowed to Naruto in a greeting.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. When my clones went away I got their memories, I already know who you are Tsunami-san. Thank you, for waiting to see my real self to introduce yourself properly though. Thank you, also for allowing us into your home." Naruto said politely as he got up, out of the chair and bowed to Tsunami. _'Wow, those etiquette lessons you gave me actually came in use Kyu-sensei!'_

_**'Of course! I would never teach you something useless, Kit.' **_Kyuubi answered back.

Tsunami smiled lightly. "No thanks necessary Naruto-kun. It was the least I could do since you helped my Otou-san. I should also tell you that your sensei is awake. He woke up a little before I came down here."

Naruto quickly thanked Tsunami again for informing him. He asked Sasuke and Sakura to come with him upstairs and they quickly made their way upstairs.

* * *

The hunter nin leaned over Zabuza's body and produced a cutting tool ready to cut the senbon out and carefully remove them. He was halfway to Zabuza's neck, when his wrist was grabbed by Zabuza himself. "That's enough Haku! Why do you always have to go for neck? You're brutal you know that." Zabuza stated as he sat up and yanked the senbon out of his neck.

"If I marked your precious body you'd complain even more. Although I'm not so sure anymore since you have a small crater in your chest now. You're lucky you had enough muscle to protect your lungs. The explosion in your left hand seems to have gone all the way through, I'm surprised you can still use your hand at all. Your right arm lost mostly flesh in between your bicep and tricep, your bone is showing slightly. I can stop the bleeding but the flesh has already been cauterized slightly from the explosion, there is nothing I can do to get rid of the marks you will be left with. Overall you're lucky the blonde ninja didn't try and attack you with more of those things." Haku stated calmly.

Zabuza frowned. "I underestimated the kid. I can't wait to have another fight with him. Using a strange attack like that means one of two things, he's either really weak and uses surprise tactics a lot or he's fairly strong and is trying to hide it with the surprise tactics. Personally I'm hoping it's the second reason, I wouldn't want him dying on me too quickly." Zabuza broke into what looked like a sadistic grin under the bandages covering his mouth.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were sitting around Kakashi's bed. They told him about Zabuza still being alive and Naruto gave him a report on the clones he had put around the home as sentries and guards. They also told him of what they did during the fight with Zabuza, except for the water dragon jutsu and the ball bearings Naruto used. When they finished telling him all they needed to know, Naruto asked the question that was on the three's minds. "What do you want us to do now Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi closed his eyes for a second, in thought. "First off, let me say, good work in fight. Naruto, you did well using your clones in conjunction with kawarimi to perform dangerous tasks. Sasuke, you performed the shadow shuriken jutsu perfectly to provide a distraction. Sakura, you did good protecting Tazuna with Naruto's clones while he and Sasuke freed me. Right now though we need rest . Tomorrow, I'm gonna give you all some training exercises that will help in the up coming fight with Zabuza. Now you're all dismissed until tomorrow." The three of them got up and started heading for the door when Kakashi spoke up again. "Except for you Naruto, I need to speak with you about something." Naruto turned back and headed for his seating spot again. Sasuke and Sakura looked back for second and just carried on out the door and closed it.

Naruto looked at the door and asked Kakashi quietly. "Do you want me to use a sound-proofing jutsu?" Kakashi just nodded in response. Naruto went through a quick sequence of hand-seals and when he finished there was a burst of chakra that enveloped the room. "Okay, I've put it up. What did you want to talk to me about Kakashi-sensei?"

"You're the one that did the over-sized water dragon jutsu, aren't you." Kakashi stated calmly.

Naruto brought his hand up and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, that was me. I thought it would buy you time and when that huge water jutsu you used slammed Zabuza against a tree I saw my chance and pinned him with the dragon so you could finish him."

"Naruto why didn't you correct Sasuke and Sakura? The way they reported the fight, they made it sound like I was the one who made the dragon. It also sounds like they didn't see your little fireworks show, or the chakra blade." Kakashi asked.

Naruto got a serious look on his face. "I didn't tell them because it was something they didn't really need to know. Sakura knows I'm strong, just not how strong. I'm pretty sure Sasuke's in denial about the fact I'm better than him, so he wouldn't believe me anyway."

"I see." Kakashi said, while staring up at the ceiling. "If you were in another battle right now and it required you to use that water dragon jutsu or whatever else you may now that you haven't shown us. Would you hesitate to use them if anyone of us were in a life or death situation?"

"OF COURSE I'D USE THE JUTSU!" Naruto yelled back immediately. "If anyone of your lives were in danger, I would give up my life to ensure your safety. I just don't think they need to know how strong I am, yet."

Kakashi did an eye-smile at Naruto's outburst. "I'm glad to hear you say that Naruto. Seeing as you wouldn't think twice about using your full power in the proper circumstances, I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei. Did you want to talk to me about anything else?" Naruto asked with relieved look on his face.

"Actually, I wanted to ask about how you got me out of the water prison." Kakashi replied.

"That was another aspect of the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai. It allowed me to make the chakra blade." Naruto answered.

"So what's the main aspect of the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai?" Kakashi asked with a small frown.

"I had a feeling you would ask me this. The Kekkei Genkai makes my chakra slightly denser and it forms a small layer just above my skin which allows me to block hits if I make it spin and condense it further. Although when we get back to Konoha, don't tell Ojii-san, please." Naruto asked in a pleading voice.

Kakashi's eye went wide. "You haven't told Hokage-sama about your Kekkei Genkai!?"

"Yes, yes, I've told him I have a Kekkei Genkai, I just haven't told him what it does yet. He hasn't asked me about it so I think he wants me to come forward and tell him. Please don't tell him about Kyuubi being my sensei either." Naruto asked again as he had another pleading look in his eyes.

Kakashi's eye widened further if that was possible. "YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM THAT EITHER!?" Kakashi shouted. "Why did you tell me these things and not the Hokage?"

"I thought I should tell you so you wouldn't waste your time training me in things I already knew. Ojii-san doesn't need to know about Kyuubi yet either, but I will tell him when we get back. I've been trying to put this off, I hated lying to Ojii-san and I'm afraid of how he'll take it. I just wanted to be treated the same as any other genin." Naruto replied with a guilty look on his face.

Kakashi saw the look on Naruto's face and decided he was being sincere and not to take things further. "Okay, Naruto. I'll let you tell the Hokage but I'm surprised you don't trust Hokage-sama enough. He wouldn't have forced you to become genin earlier. I'm sure he would have allowed you to carry on the same as all the other genin did if you asked him. I guess it doesn't matter now though, what's done is done. You can inform Hokage-sama when we get back."

"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said while bowing deeply.

"No problem, Naruto. I just want to know a few more things and then you can go rest. From all the clones you made and the jutsu you used, I'm guessing your pretty tired." Kakashi stated.

"Yeah, I feel pretty exhausted, I think I'm down to less than quarter of my reserves from the feel of things. My chakra is already replenishing itself though. It would replenish faster if I slept." Naruto explained.

"Okay, I'll make this as short as possible, about how many jutsu do you know?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto got a slight glint in his eye and grin on his face hearing the question. "I know over fifty jutsu. I know at least one of each element style. I say it like that because the only raiton (Lightning style) I currently know is the lightning version of the water dragon jutsu, actually the elemental dragon jutsus are some of my favourites." Naruto explained quickly, the grin never leaving his face.

"Elemental dragon jutsus?" Kakashi asked apprehensively. _'I knew there were different versions but could Naruto possibly know all of them? Even with all the jutsus I copied I only managed to get two of them.'_

"Yeah, you know the five elemental dragon jutsus." Naruto brought up a hand and started counting them off. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu), Futon: Furyu Hadan no Jutsu (Wind Dragon Piercing Bullet Jutsu), Katon: Karyu Endan no Jutsu (Fire Dragon Flame Bullet Jutsu), Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu (Lightning Dragon Bullet Jutsu) and Doton: Iwaryu no Jutsu (Rock Dragon Jutsu). They were a little difficult to control at first but they have to be some of the coolest jutsus I know, I mean what's cooler than dragons, except foxes of course. The only down side to the jutsus are the number of hand-seals you have to do to perform the jutsu. I can usually perform them in two seconds but that's a whole two seconds where my enemy can attack me." Naruto finished, panting slightly since he had yet to take a breath since he started the explanation.

Kakashi was staring at Naruto now. "That's... interesting. What about the rest of your jutsus?"

"They're mostly defensive jutsu like that earth wall Sakura used on the way here." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Good to hear. That's all I needed to hear Naruto. You can go now." Kakashi said nodding to him.

Naruto nodded to Kakashi and dispelled the sound-proofing jutsu. Once out of the room he was met with Tsunami who had been on her way to check on Kakashi. "Don't worry, he's fine Tsunami-san, he's probably asleep already knowing him. Um, Tsunami-san?" Naruto asked rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" Tsunami asked looking down on at Naruto.

"You wouldn't happen to have a room with a futon I can sleep in do you? I'm a little tired from everything that I've done today." Naruto asked sheepishly.

Tsunami smiled lightly and gave out a small chuckle. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I have a room next to your sensei's for you and Sasuke, while Sakura can sleep in my room. Come, I'll show you where the futons are." She gestured for him to follow her and quickly showed him to the room and the closet where the futons were kept. He thanked her as she left him in the room. He quickly pulled out a futon, took off his weapons pouches , kunai holsters, his jacket and steel mesh shirt and slipped under the covers. Before he let himself drift off into sleep, he created one last kage bunshin to inform Sasuke and Sakura that he would be asleep until the next morning, he then drew a kunai from one of the holsters that lay near him and placed it under his pillow, gripping the handle tightly with his right hand. Finally, he drifted off into sleep, a dreamless night ahead of him... or so he hoped.

* * *

_He was in an alley again. It was dark and smelled of garbage as an alley usually did. They'd closed him out of the orphanage again and he'd been looking for food and somewhere to stay out of trouble. As usual though, trouble knew where he was and found him._

_There were only three of them this time, only two were actually drunk. He could tell from the smell on their breaths, not that they actually came that close to his face. He just had a good nose, always did. One held him in place while the other two would punched and kicked him. They would alternate from there taking turns to hold him in place while the other two beat him. He tried to hold back any sign of pain, not wanting to give them the pleasure. Although he did give out slight grunts every now and then when they would hit him in the stomach._

_Eventually they grew bored of using their fists and started using some empty sake bottles. After the twelfth one struck his head he finally fell down and closed his eyes, glad he was finally free of the pain._His eyes opened expecting to see the alley he had just been in. He was pleasantly surprised though, to see he was in a comfortable and warm bed, not out in the cold.

* * *

_'One of those nightmares again. Why do I keep having them? I've gotten past that part of my life, I'm safe now. Most of the villagers may still hate me but they wouldn't do such things to me anymore.' _Naruto thought with a grim look. He then saw that the sun was just coming over the horizon.

Naruto had been having said nightmares since the first time he was attacked. The nightmares were always a memory of any number of attacks that had happened to him in his early life. Therefore his first nightmare was about the first attack, he had woken up screaming that night. Now though, he sleeps through them. Once or twice he had woken in a cold sweat from some particularly nasty memories. According to Kyuubi, he even frowned and grunted in his sleep sometimes, as if reliving the event. All in all he had learned to ignore the nightmares though.

Naruto got out of bed silently since he saw that Sasuke was in another bed a little ways from him, almost on the other side of the room. He just shook his head at the Uchiha as he pulled his clothes on and reattached all his various pouches and holsters. He looked at the special scroll pouches he had, only one being used. _'Hmm. Guess I should find some use for the other four. Maybe I should get some of those body storage scrolls Kakashi-sensei had.' _Naruto thought as he attached the pouches to the loose belt he wore.

When Naruto finally felt ready, after a quick visit to the bathroom, he headed out for some morning exercises. He felt great, a full night's worth of sleep had fully replenished his chakra reserves. He first raised the weight seal level since he felt too light and started on a light jog. Afterwards he went through the usual physical exercises. Once he had finished those he jogged back to the house to cool down. When he got through the front door he found that everyone else had woken up and come to the table for breakfast, except Kakashi who was probably still asleep, in his absence.

"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Naruto greeted everyone at the table and Tsunami who had stuck her head out of the kitchen.

Tsunami instantly smiled and replied back. "Ohayou Naruto-kun! You don't have to be so formal, our home is your home."

Naruto looked back at her with his grin as he, in his energetic way, said. "Arigatou, Tsunami-san! What's for breakfast? It smells good!"

Tsunami just went back to the kitchen yelling back. "Just take a seat, Naruto-kun. It's almost done."

Naruto complied by taking the empty seat directly across from Sasuke, who narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "You should be able to tell what it is easily, Dobe. Ninja's are supposed to have a good sense of smell."

Naruto leaned forward and whispered a reply. "I know what she's making Teme. I could smell it on my way back, if anything it made me jog a little too fast to get back here." He broke out into a grin from the glare he was getting from Sasuke. He turned to Sakura who had been quiet all through the little discussion. "Ohayou Sakura. Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun. I'm ready for any training Kakashi-sensei has coming for us." Sakura replied with a smile.

Naruto grinned back at her and looked over to the other two at the table, Inari and Tazuna were both looking down at the table. Tazuna obviously had a hangover, while Inari just seemed depressed. He decided not to press matters further with the two.

After a few minutes, Tsunami came from the kitchen with a bowl of himono for everyone. Naruto eagerly accepted his bowl and shouted "Itadakimasu!" and, unlike his usual method of eating which would be to wolf the food down, ate at a normal pace. This brought a stare from Sakura and Sasuke, who were used to seeing him inhale his food. After a couple of seconds of staring they too, dug in.

When everyone was almost done, Kakashi finally made an appearance. He was advancing down the stairs slowly, taking them one at a time and using crutches for support. He greeted everyone with a lazy, "Yo." and sat down. As soon as he showed up, Tsunami was in the kitchen and after a couple of minutes was back at the table with another bowl for Kakashi. He accepted it with an eye smile and a lazy "Arigatou."

* * *

Team 7 were in a clearing, in the woods, some distance from the house. Kakashi had taken them out as soon as they had finished their breakfast. "Alright, training starts today. First off, I want to go over chakra. It's a ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential." Kakashi explained to the three.

"We know that." Sasuke stated flatly.

"Are you so sure, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked in a bored voice.

"Well, we did go over chakra in the academy Kakashi-sensei. We know chakra is used to perform jutsu, we know it's a balance of physical and spiritual energies. Then there's the hand-seals, used to focus and unleash the chakra. For you to bring this up though, there must be something else to it, huh, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, looking up from his thinking pose.

"That's right Naruto. I guess you did learn something from Iruka-sensei, after all." Kakashi replied. _'And Kyuubi.' _Kakashi added in his mind.

"What's the big deal, we're already using chakra energy in our jutsu." Sasuke stated flatly, again.

"No! You haven't mastered this power. You've barely even scratched the surface of it. Listen, each jutsu requires different types of chakra, in different proportions. You have to select and combine them in the right way. Up to now you've just guessed at those proportions, hoping they come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The jutsu won't work at all, or it won't work right. You use so much energy this way, then your out of chakra and you can't fight at all. You become just a target."

"So what's the training your gonna give us to help with this? I mean that is what the training is gonna be about isn't it?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"That's right, I'm gonna have you train so hard that controlling chakra becomes second nature. To achieve the goal you must be ready to put your life on the line." Kakashi replied with a slight frown over his uncovered eye.

Hearing this, Naruto grinned,Sasuke just carried on staring not giving anything away, while Sakura had a slight worried look on her face. "So, what do we have to do?" Sakura finally asked.

"Simple, climb a tree." Kakashi replied with an eye smile.

"Climb a tree!" Sasuke exclaimed, showing slight shock.

"Oh, I see you're going to have us climb the tree using our chakra. Naruto-kun had me do this the first day we got together for training." Sakura figured out.

Sasuke rounded on the two of them. "You mean, you and the Dobe, have already done this?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Yeah, Sakura needed to increase her chakra reserves and doing this exercise over and over again is a good way of draining chakra. I mean, she already had really good chakra control, she just needed to get more chakra."

"How did you know about this exercise? I've never heard of it before." Sasuke asked the blonde ninja.

"Well, I read about it in a scroll. After graduation I asked Iruka-sensei for help on controlling my chakra and he gave the scroll to me. Took me about a day to get halfway up the tree but I got it eventually. I still use the exercise every now and then, just to keep my chakra control in check." Naruto explained with a shrug.

Sasuke looked like he was seething with hate at how Naruto had learned this before he had. He then turned that hate toward his sensei. "Why didn't you teach this to me?"

Kakashi just stared at Sasuke with a bored expression. "Because, I wanted to focus on taijutsu with you. All those advanced techniques and stances you learned were sloppy. I wanted to correct them for you before moving on to chakra and jutsus. I thought Naruto would do the same and go over hand to hand combat before going straight to the jutsus and chakra control."

"Hey! I go over taijutsu with Sakura. We spar at every training session and I correct any faults she has in her stance. It's just her strengths lie in chakra control, so I wanted to focus more on that." Naruto explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright, but I want to see proof of your training before I let you go on to your own training or send you on errands." Kakashi told Naruto and Sakura.

They both nodded, turned to a tree and used the chakra gathering hand-seal, a small cloud of dust raising from their feet. They both walked to the tree and walked up it, after a while Sakura started walking faster to reach a branch and sit down before loosing too much chakra, it took a lot more chakra to walk up than it did to run up a tree. Naruto however kept going and finally came to a stop while hanging upside down on a branch near where Sakura was now sitting. "This good enough for you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted down to the jounin.

Kakashi nodded and shouted back. "Okay, you can skip this training but I still want you to do some sort of training."

Naruto stopped the chakra flow to his feet and dropped off the branch. He ricocheted off a couple of tree's before finally landing on his feet. "Alright!" He turned back to look at Sakura. "Hey Sakura! I got a suggestion on what kind of training you should do if you want to do it."

Sakura looked down at Naruto and jumped off the branch she was sitting on and, using chakra, gripped the tree and slid down at a manageable speed. She landed with a light 'thud'. "Well, what is it Naruto-senpai?"

_'There's that senpai again what's with that?' _Thought Sasuke looking between the two.

"Show me your weights, I'm going to increase them and then I want you to do the tree climbing exercise with Sasuke, it should help your chakra reserves and stamina. If you want to do it that is." Naruto explained.

Sakura looked over to Sasuke, who just looked back. She turned back to Naruto. "Hai, it sounds like a good way to train." She held out her wrists. Naruto took out a few metal plates from somewhere in his jacket and inserted them into the holders around her wrists. He then took out several more and kneeled down next to the holders around her ankles to insert the plates.

"There, that's as many as I'd like to add for now. Is it okay Sakura?" Naruto asked with a small grin.

Sakura raised her fists to her face and then did a few practice kicks. "Hai. It's good, not too heavy."

"Good, now get on with it." Naruto said while tossing a kunai to her feet. Kakashi did the same for Sasuke.

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTE**

Sorry for the long chapter, I'm getting into writing this fanfic now and I'm finding it pretty hard to stop typing. Even while I'm editing this chapter I've already started on the next chapter.


	12. It Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Happy now you blood sucking lawyers!

Chapter 12 – It Begins

* * *

**Last time:**

"Good, now get on with it." Naruto said while tossing a kunai to her feet. Kakashi did the same for Sasuke.

**This Chapter:**

Naruto had gone off to train somewhere else. Sakura and Sasuke had been running up the trees for a good hour now. Sakura was still getting higher than Sasuke, even with her weights. The problem was she was also tiring out faster. She was breathing fairly heavily, compared to Sasuke. It seemed she still didn't have the same amount of chakra, that or the weights were really weighing her down a lot.

Sasuke looked up the tree he had been running on and saw he was getting better with each try. What was annoying him though, was Sakura, who was climbing ever higher, until she ran out of breath or broke her control, whichever came first.

_'I admit this training is harder than I thought it would be. If you use too much then you break the bark and push yourself off, use too little and you fall off. There has to be some trick to it, some faster way of learning how to do it.' _He looked over to Sakura. _'Maybe I could... ask her for tips?' _He shook the thought from his head. _'Not yet. Maybe later, if I can't match her height by the time she's too exhausted to carry on, then I'll ask her.' _At that he went at the tree again.

* * *

_'Okay, Kyu-sensei. Is this place remote enough and secluded enough for the training?' _Naruto asked Kyuubi through the mental link.

_**'Yeah, this place looks good. Okay, it's nothing new, I just want you to practice the Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu. You haven't used it in a while and using it in a new environment should help you with its flexibility.' **_Kyuubi replied.

_'Alright!' _Thought Naruto as he went through the hand-seals, ending on the fox. "Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu!" He called out as nine fluffy looking tales with red/orange bodies and a white tip, sprouted from his lower back. "Let's see what I can do with these things."

He stretched one tail out and had it latch on to a tree branch and haul himself into the trees, he then swung from the branch using the tail again. Eventually he was swinging full speed through the branches, swiping at the smaller branches in his way with any tail he wasn't using.

He got bored after a while and went back to the clearing. When he got there, he stretched out all but two of the tails and made them latch on to different branches in different directions. He hauled himself up into the air again, this time just hanging there as he had one of the remaining tails pushing into the ground helping to keep him up. The final tail was brought up underneath him like a small chair and he sat down indian style and began to meditate. He was keeping himself like this to exercise the strength of the tails and train his stamina in using them. If one of the tails got too tired he would swap it with the one he was sitting on and carry on.

* * *

Zabuza was lying in a bed being tended to by Haku, when a short man walked in through a door with two men, carrying swords, following after him. "Some jounin, the unbeatable ninja just got beat, limping back home like some pathetic has been. Demon of the hidden mist?" The small man cackled. "More like coward of the hidden mist!"

Haku got up quickly, hearing the insult, causing the two men with swords to grab for the hilts and draw them slightly. "Drawing swords?" Haku asked in a somber voice.

The short man walked forward waving off the other two. "Hang on a minute. Alright, let's hear what you have to say about this fiasco. And don't play possum, I know you can talk." The short man said as he walked over to Zabuza and reached for the bandages covering his mouth.

His hand was quickly stopped however by an angry looking Haku. "Keep your filthy hands off of Zabuza-sama."

Haku went on to start crushing the short mans arm causing him to scream out. "AAAARGH! Your gonna break it!"

The two men with swords, noticing the assault on their employer, started drawing their swords again. What they didn't expect was for Haku to appear between them, brandishing their swords and pressing them to their necks. Both men were thinking the exact same thing that moment. _'That's impossible! No one can move that fast!'_

"Don't push me, I'm in a really foul mood." Haku said, in what sounded like a calm voice but the look of anger on his face saying otherwise.

The short man growled in frustration as Haku threw the swords across the room. "One chance! That's it! If you fail this time, I'll cut you off and there'll be no one left to cover for you!" The short man barked out before turning to the door and leaving. "Let's go!"

Zabuza moved his gaze to Haku when the door closed. "Haku. That wasn't neccesary." He stated calmly still staring at Haku.

"Perhaps, but I didn't want you using that hand, even if you would have used the kunai, it still needs time to close up properly." Haku explained.

"The wound would've stayed closed, with all the jutsu, ointments you've smeared on it and the tea you make me drink, it's practically completely healed." Zabuza replied.

"Probably, either way, it's still too early to kill Gatoh. Think about it, he's our best cover, the murders would draw their attention. Then they'd be after us again." Haku said remembering the hunter nins that had been after them. "We need restraint."

Zabuza looked back at the ceiling and sighed. "Right." He said as he closed his eyes trying to sleep again.

* * *

Naruto was walking through the forest on his way back to the house. He was cutting through where Sakura and Sasuke had been doing the tree climbing exercise. What he found surprised him slightly, Sasuke was lying down in front of his tree breathing heavily. Naruto walked over quietly.

"So, you've been training really hard I see, Sasuke." Naruto stated as he looked down on the Uchiha.

"Hmph, Dobe." Sasuke said back as he got up. He was getting ready to dash at the tree again but was stopped when a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Come on Sasuke-teme. You keep going like this and your gonna be useless when Zabuza finally returns." Naruto said trying to convince him he would be better off resting now.

Sasuke blanched at that thought, he didn't want to be just a target when it came to a fight. "Fine, Dobe. I'll go back to the house, for now." Sasuke turned away from the tree and started walking for the house.

Naruto just watched the retreating form of Sasuke. _'That was different. I would've thought he would at least snap at me for even thinking he was weak.' _Naruto just carried on walking after that thought. The feeling in his stomach compelling him to find food.

* * *

That night everyone had a good meal courtesy of Tsunami. Sasuke looked like he was trying to eat more than Naruto, when Naruto asked for seconds so did Sasuke. "Man, that has to be the best meal I've had in a long time! Nothing beats homemade cooking!" Naruto exclaimed after he had finished his third serving.

Sakura had already finished eating long before Naruto and was helping Tsunami with the dishes she had to clean. Once she was done helping she wandered over to a picture that had been bugging her since she had arrived at the house, one corner of it was missing and Sakura was itching to know why. She finally plucked up the guts to ask after about four minutes of staring at it. "Excuse me, this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that. Inari you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like there was someone else in the picture but they got torn out, I mean that's kinda strange isn't it?"

Tazuna gave off a small humming sound as if in thought, Inari gave off small whimper and Tsunami gave out a small gasp. "It's my husband." Tsunami told Sakura quickly.

Tazuna lowered his head and his eyes softened as if remembering something painful. "They used to call him a hero in this land..."

After Tazuna said that Inari got up and made his way to the door. "Inari where are you going!?" Tsunami called out to him but he made no effort to stop he just carried on out the door and into the night. Tsunami then ran to the door pausing before she left to scold Tazuna. "Otou-san, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that!" She swiftly left and closed the door after her looking for Inari.

Sakura just looked at the door with slight shock. "Inari's so... " Sakura started.

Naruto was also staring at the door when he spoke up right after Sakura. "What was that about?"

Kakashi 'hmmm'd' and looked toward Tazuna. "Is there a story behind this?"

"He wasn't Inari's real father, he came in to our family later. He brought so much happiness, he and Inari were very close. Back in those days, Inari used laugh all the time." Tazuna explained almost chuckling at the last part. After a second he tensed up though. "But then! All that ended he never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed." He had started crying halfway through the last sentence making him look older than he was. "The word courage was stolen from this island and we were left feeling powerless, hopeless and Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since it happened!"

Tazuna paused after saying that compelling Kakashi to talk. "Tell us, what happened to Inari."

"First, you'll need to learn about the man, his father. The man who taught us the word courage, who was a hero in this land." Tazuna said as he wiped away his tears.

"A hero? He must have been awesome." Naruto said in awe of Inari's father.

"He was, to the town's people and to Inari. He showed up about three years ago. Inari had been pushed into the water after his dog but he couldn't swim he almost drowned, the dog managed to get to safety. That's when He showed up, he saved Inari. Inari was broken up about letting the dog down and how the dog abandoned him in his time of need. Inari thought he didn't have any courage, because he was too scared to try and help the dog, but he helped Inari. He explained that Inari was still young and that even he was scared when he was a child. That day, he told Inari something that would change his life. He told Inari to live his life so that he had nothing to regret that if he had something he cared about he should protect it with both arms, no matter what and never give up. The man's name was Kaiza, he was a fisherman who came here from another land to follow his dreams. After that day, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. Inari had never known his real father so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life, he looked up to him and followed in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent so much time with us, eventually he naturally became part of our family. And when this town needed him most, he pulled through for us all and became something more. Sometime before Gatoh showed up, there was heavy rain and a flood gate we used to regulate water flow through the town opened, the water levels were rising and the water would cause wide spread damage if we didn't close the flood gate. The current was too strong for one man to close it, they needed to use rope and close it as a team but no one was willing to brave the current. Kaiza showed up though and managed to swim through the current getting a rope onto the gate allowing the whole village to work as one and close the gate. That day Kaiza become a hero in this land, he taught us all the meaning of courage and Inari was proud to be his son." Tazuna paused looking down at the table thinking about those days.

Naruto spoke up wanting to know where this hero was. "So what happened to him, Tazuna-san?"

Tazuna looked back up, grim look on his face. "Not long after that, Gatoh showed up. He terrorized everyone in the village with his thugs. Kaiza was the only person to stand up to him, it took Gatoh's whole gang to bring that one man down. Kaiza was beaten and ridiculed by the gang, they broke his arms as a cruel joke. Then they did the most vile act possible, they executed Kaiza in public, under the pretenses that he was upsetting the order of the land by going against the Gatoh company. Using him as an example to scare the other villagers, so that none of them thought to rise against him again. Inari saw everything, from that day onward he stopped believing in heroes. Everyone changed that day, they lost their will." Tazuna finished.

Naruto looked over to the torn picture and stood up. He walked to the door and was about to leave when Kakashi spoke up. "Where are you going, Naruto?"

Naruto looked back to everyone, a glint in his eye. "I'm gonna go train some more. After all if I'm gonna prove to Inari that there is such a thing as heros, I'm gonna need to stay on top form." Naruto left after saying that.

Sasuke soon followed saying he was going to train as well. _'I'm not going to be out done by the Dobe!'_It had been four days since Sasuke had started the tree climbing exercise. The last few days Tazuna had restarted work on the bridge. Naruto had been sent the first couple of days to set up more clones, both shadow and water, seeing as there was enough water, around the bridge and guard Tazuna while he worked. He even created some clones and had them henge into some normal looking workers to speed the work along. He even helped a little himself.

* * *

This day however, Sakura was sent with Tazuna to the bridge. She was sore from all the training that she'd done but to her it had been worth it in the end. When Naruto had taken Tazuna to the bridge the first time she had gone back to the tree climbing exercise with Sasuke. That day had to be one of the best she had, had so far, because when she finished her training that day, Sasuke had asked her for advice about the tree climbing exercise. The memory brought a smile to her face, even now.

Tazuna walked by and saw the smile on Sakura's face. "Hey, are you gonna just sit and smile all day? Shouldn't you be training in some way?"

The smile fell from her face and she looked up at the old bridge builder. "Well, there isn't anyway for me to train. I'm just supposed to watch and guard you anyway."

"No way to train? You could always help us with the construction work, like that blonde kid did when he was here. Which reminds me, where is he? I thought he would be guarding me again today." Tazuna asked the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Naruto-kun? He said he wanted to do some of his own training today. He did send some of his clones with me though, to replace any that had run out of chakra." Sakura answered Tazuna.

* * *

Naruto was back in the clearing where he'd been training with his tails a few days prior and his other jutsu for the last couple of nights since he had been down on the bridge during the day. _'Okay, Kyu-sensei, we're back in the clearing. What did you want me to practice this time?'_

_**'Alright, I want to get you practicing using my chakra for the fox jutsus. Since we're going up against a nin of Zabuza's level you may need to call on my chakra for the fight. This will be different to the night you beat Mizuki though.' **_Kyuubi explained to the blonde.

_'What do ya mean, Kyu-sensei?' _Naruto asked Kyuubi.

_**'In the forest, when you got angry and fought Mizuki, you took my chakra for the fight, I didn't give it to you willingly. When I give you my chakra, I filter out most of the demonic influence before giving it to you. When you take the chakra though, I don't get a chance to filter out the demonic influence. Getting rid of that demonic influence is important, especially if you're using a lot of my chakra. With the demonic influence in the chakra it causes your body's chemistry to alter, making you more aggressive and bloodthirsty. That's why you almost killed Mizuki in the forest, it was because of the demonic influence of my chakra. I stopped you before you went too far though.' **_Kyuubi sighed in Naruto's mind. **_'The human body was never made to use demonic chakra anyway, it's too powerful. Even with my filtration of the demonic influence, the chakra may still damage your body if you use too much of it.'_**

_'So, this power is only to be used in a dire situation, huh?' _Naruto stated more than asked.

_**'Correct. But if I give you the chakra, it may take some time for it to be useful since I need time to filter it. This means you'll be defenseless while I'm trying to filter the chakra of it's demonic influence.' **_Kyuubi explained further.

_'Couldn't there be some way for you to filter the chakra and then store it somehow? Then I could just take the filtered chakra from storage, then I could be ready to fight in no time' _Naruto asked.

_**'It could be possible, Kit. I could filter the chakra and you could store it in a seal on your body for later. There's a problem with this though, there aren't that many seals that are powerful enough to store demonic chakra. One of the few seals that can store demonic chakra is currently on your stomach.' **_Kyuubi replied.

_'Umm, Kyu-sensei?' _Naruto looked down at his toned stomach through the steel mesh shirt he wore. _'There's nothing on my stomach.' _Naruto said back.

Kyuubi chuckled lightly at Naruto's comment. _**'Maybe not now, Kit. Give me a second to filter some chakra and you'll see what I mean.'**_

Naruto kept looking down at his stomach until, finally, a spiral with some other symbols surrounding it appeared. Strangely enough, it appeared, just as he felt Kyuubi's chakra enter his system. _'I see it now, Kyu-sensei! If I can look at this with my Kaiseki Boushi, I'm pretty sure I could use some of the symbols to come up with a seal to store the filtered chakra!' _He exclaimed mentally.

_**'Good. You can study it and make a new storage seal later, when you have the equipment needed to make a new seal. Besides you're going to need a lot of time to study the seal, there are more symbols than what you see on the surface. It has many layers of different symbols to make it strong.' **_Kyuubi explained to the excited blonde.

_'Oh! Okay, you can stop filtering the chakra into my system now Kyu-sensei.' _Naruto replied.

_**'Kit you really are easy to distract when comes to new things aren't you? You came out here to practice using my chakra and activating those fox jutsus without hand-seals. To do that you're going to need my chakra.' **_Kyuubi told the blonde as he chuckled.

Naruto just chuckled to himself and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, embarrassed at his absent-minded antics. He then took a stance and readily accepted Kyuubi's chakra. First off he activated the Kitsune Boushi no Jutsu, feeling it would be the easiest to activate since it used the least chakra. He activated it as soon as the chakra hit his eyes. It seemed to actually activate on it's own but Naruto took no notice. Next he went on to the Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu. It took a couple of seconds to fully form the nine tails without hand-seals but he did it. There was something different about the tails though, they seemed to glow slightly and swish about a little more viciously. He practiced a little with the tails, swinging through the trees as he had been doing the last few days. The tails seemed to react faster even though they were formed slower, they also seemed to burn the branches they touched, slightly. He also struck out with the tails, checking out how deadly they could be. It turned out they could be extremely deadly, especially if he used it in conjunction with the chakra armor, making a small spike or blade at the end of the tail.

The last jutsu, the Kitsune Tsume no Jutsu, seemed to come easier than the tails and unlike when he usually uses his own chakra the claws turned out red. Naruto didn't like to use this jutsu against other people unless he really meant to kill or seriously harm said person. From what Kyuubi told him, it could be really harmful when using his chakra. He still tried it against some of the trees though and was surprised to see where he cut was singed and the leaves of the tree would start dieing.

"Whoa, these things are really destructive." Naruto exclaimed, looking at the claws of chakra. He disengaged the jutsu after that. _'I don't think I'll be using that jutsu with your chakra anytime soon. Unless of course there's someone I need to protect.'_

_**'Fair enough, Kit. Just remember, if your using your chakra they only cut, they don't poison like they do with my chakra.' **_Kyuubi told the blonde.

_'I know, I remember what you told me. I think that's enough training for the day, the suns starting to go down. How do I get rid of the rest of your chakra Kyu-sensei? I still have some left.' _Naruto asked Kyuubi.

_**'Give me a second, Kit. I can reabsorb it, once I do the demonic influence will be restored though. Get ready for a bout of exhaustion though, when my chakra entered your system it pushed a lot of yours out, once I take mine back, it'll feel like you've used a lot of your chakra.' **_Kyuubi replied.

_'Okay, go for it.' _Naruto told Kyuubi. Kyuubi started to reabsorb his chakra and it hit Naruto like a large group of fan-girls. _'Damn, that's a lot more exhausting than I expected. I don't think I could even make it to the house now.' _Naruto thought to himself.

_**'If you're going stay out here tonight then at least activate the Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu. I don't want you freezing to death.' **_Kyuubi told Naruto.

Naruto nodded, went through the hand-seals and waited for his chakra to replenish to the point of having enough to cast the jutsu and to wrap himself up in the tails before going to sleep. He eventually performed the jutsu and curled up on the ground, the tails wrapping around him and keeping the cold out.

* * *

Naruto woke up to the feeling of someone leaning over his body and their hand coming a little too close to his throat. He reached out and swiftly caught the person's wrist even though he hadn't even opened his eyes. "I wouldn't try that if I were you or else I might consider you a threat and kill you." He said calmly as he pushed the hand away from his neck. He then sat up and opened his eyes to see who his attacker was.

* * *

Haku had been up early that morning to gather herbs for an ointment, again. He'd used so much to help heal Zabuza's wounds that he had to replenish almost all his stock. When he saw the Konoha nin that had been the cause to Zabuza's wounds though, he was severely tempted to kill him then and there and even brought his hand close to strangling the nin but was stopped when his wrist was grabbed. He widened his eyes at the supposedly sleeping nins action and then at his words. _'No one has been able to sense my presence before, even Zabuza-sama has had trouble from time to time.' _Realizing this Haku felt a certain respect forming for the blonde ninja. "What are you doing sleeping out here? You may have blankets to protect yourself from the cold but there are still a lot of things that could hurt you out here."

Naruto just looked at the person in front of him, he or she was wearing a pink kimono and had long hair. The facial features suggested that the person was a girl but their posture and the pitch of the voice suggested more for a boy. Naruto shook himself getting more of the sleep out of his head the tails flaring out behind him causing the person to gasp. "I know, I was out here training to become stronger but I guess I went a little too far. These tails were part of my training, they're also pretty good at keeping me warm and safe though. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, so what's your name?" He cancelled the tail jutsu at the end of his sentence to make the person feel more comfortable.

* * *

The rest of team 7 and Tazuna's family were around the dining table when Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto's late, he's usually on time for meals. Sasuke, was he still sleeping when you got up?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen him since yesterday morning." Tazuna added.

Kakashi wasn't the only one to notice the blondes absence, Sakura was also starting to get worried. "Actually, Kakashi-sensei, I'm not sure if Naruto-kun came back yesterday. He wasn't here when I got back with Tazuna-san." Sakura informed her sensei.

"The Dobe wasn't in the room last night and he wasn't there this morning either. He probably trained too hard and collapsed, who knows, maybe he went too far, used up all his chakra and died." Sasuke suggested in an unimpressed voice.

"Sasuke-kun! I know Naruto-kun is a little over-enthusiastic sometimes but he knows his limits. He would never do something that reckless." Sakura whined.

"I have to admit, I'm a little worried about Naruto-kun. The woods aren't a safe place for a child to stay the night." Tsunami admitted.

"Don't worry, Naruto may act goofy and reckless sometimes but he's also a fully fledged ninja. He can take care of himself." Kakashi assured everyone.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi for a moment and got up. "Where are you going, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked the Uchiha.

"I'm gonna go train some more." Sasuke replied and he carried on out the door. Almost nobody heard him mumbling something about 'being beaten by the Dobe'.

* * *

Haku got over the blonde's, now known as Naruto, tails. "My name's Haku. So are you a ninja? Because I noticed that hitai-ite you're wearing." Now Haku had an immense interest in Naruto, seeing as he knew such a strange jutsu.

"Oh, this?" Naruto said as he reached up to touch his hitai-ite. "Yeah, I'm a ninja." He replied. _'Damn! The names unisex, I still can't tell which gender Haku is and it feels like I should know Haku from somewhere, but why?'_

"I see. So why were you trying to be stronger? Do you have some one, precious, you wish to protect?" Haku asked Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. I guess you could say that. What I'm protecting is more of a somewhere though. I want to protect the land of waves from a man who's trying to make money from their suffering. I also want to protect my hidden village, so I have twice the reason to train."

"I see. That's good to hear. I think a person becomes truly strong when they try to protect someone, or somewhere in your case, precious to them." Haku explained.

At that moment it hit Naruto, he figured out who this person was. He should have been able to tell from the height, hair colour and voice but somehow it eluded him until he felt the persons chakra signature properly. He didn't give anything away though and carried on as if he knew nothing. "Yeah, I know what you mean Haku. By the way... how's Zabuza doing? Are his wounds healed yet?" Naruto asked as if he knew the two of them personally.

Haku was slightly taken aback by Naruto's question but answered it anyway. "He's fine, he should be ready to fight again in a couple of days. How did you know?" Haku asked lowering his head as if in defeat.

"I should have figured it out from just your voice but I'm sad to say I didn't figure it out until I felt your chakra signature. You're pretty good at hiding that aren't you? That's probably why I couldn't sense you in the forest. There's something I need to know though, why do you help Zabuza? You just don't look like the bloodthirsty type, it's not in your eyes." Naruto asked with a concerned look in his eyes.

Again, Haku was taken aback by his question. No one had ever asked him such a thing. "I guess it's because he's my precious person, he's the closest thing I have to family or a friend."

Naruto just looked into Haku's eyes again. He was being truthful and what surprised Naruto a little more was he saw himself about six years ago in those eyes. This boy had experienced something awful just as he had all those years ago before he found out about Kyuubi and made some friends at the academy. Haku had been alone. "What happened to you? Where's your family?"

"My... family?" Haku asked slowly, getting a far off look in his eyes. "I killed them."

Naruto looked at Haku a little more surprise showing on his face. "I doubt that you did it on purpose. Tell me, what happened?" Naruto repeated with more force.

Haku lowered his head again. "When I was younger I lived in a village, not far from the hidden mist village, where it snowed almost all year round. I was happy back then, my only family were my mother and father and we lived comfortably. We always had food in our stomachs and a roof over our heads and we cared for one another. That changed the day I found out what was in my blood. My mother came from a family of ninja who had a Kekkei Genkai. During the war, that Kekkei Genkai was in high demand, everyone wanted to exploit it. After the war though everyone feared it, almost everyone with the Kekkei Genaki was hunted down and killed. My mother was among the few who survived, she managed to hide her abilities and married my father. I was born soon after and we were happy. After a few years I found out about my Kekkei Genaki when I was playing, my mother saw me using it and she scolded me, saying I should never use it again. At first I didn't understand but when my father found out I understood perfectly. He killed my mother and was going to kill me, I saved myself though and killed him using my Kekkei Genaki. From that day, I was alone, I didn't have anyone. No one cared for me, I had to go through trash to feed myself. I was saved though, by Zabuza. He not only accepted what was in my blood but wanted it. He trained me and took care of me, I became his tool, I felt wanted and I had a purpose because of that."

"I know what you're going through Haku, I was unloved and unwanted some time ago aswell. But from the way your talking, it sounds like you're nothing but property to Zabuza. You need friends to become strong." Naruto said also looking down.

"I understand that but how can I have friends?" Haku looked up.

Naruto looked up as well a grin on his face, he reached out his hand and said. "Shake my hand Haku and I'll become your friend."

Haku looked shocked again, staring at Naruto's outstretched hand. "How can you say that? In a few days time we'll probably be fighting against each other. You should kill me right now, ideally, to ensure the success of your mission, how can we be friends?"

"That may be true but we're not fighting right now are we? This is just the life of a ninja Haku, one day we're the best of friends, the next, mortal enemies. So shake my hand and you can say that you have at least one friend. Life is no fun without friends." Naruto explained, shoving his hand in Haku's direction, again.

Haku reached his hand out slowly and shook Naruto's hand. "Thank you, Naruto-san. I can tell your good person and a great ninja. Good luck." Haku got up at that and started walking away.

"Are you sure you want to wish me good luck? I will be fighting you and Zabuza in a few days after all." Naruto called to Haku's retreating form.

Haku stopped at hearing Naruto's voice. He turned his head so that Naruto could see his face. He smiled and nodded to Naruto.

* * *

Naruto was walking back to Tazuna's house, his stomach getting the better of him. He cut through where Sasuke was training and saw the Uchiha had done quite a lot of progress. He carried on to the house and got an onigiri courtesy of Tsunami. He ate it on his way to the bridge to help Sakura with protecting Tazuna for the day and to help with the bridge. At the rate the building was going, the bridge would be finished in couple of days.

When he arrived he got a hug from Sakura and a scolding for staying out all night. The rest of the day passed without a hitch. He didn't tell anyone about his meeting Haku.

* * *

The bridge would be finished tomorrow and Naruto felt it would also be when Zabuza would make his appearance. He could tell because it felt like a calm before a storm again, as it felt when they first met Zabuza. Naruto, Tazuna and Sakura were currently walking back to Tazuna's home. Sasuke was still doing the tree climbing exercise.

* * *

Zabuza was now sitting in a chair, his left hand, right bicep and chest were all covered in bandages to cover up the scars from the previous fight. He held an apple in his right hand, without a second thought, he crushed it. "My strength has returned, tomorrow, Haku, we make our move.

Haku, standing a little behind him nodded silently.

* * *

Naruto had gone out to do some last minute training after finishing dinner. He just went over some defensive jutsu, expecting to need them tomorrow. On his way back though he was surprised to see Sasuke had reached the very top of the tree he had been climbing. Naruto rushed up a tree next to Sasuke's, with no problem at all, and stood near the worn out Uchiha. "Finally made it to the top, huh, Teme?"

"You better believe it, Dobe. I'm not gonna lose to you!" Sasuke glared at him.

Naruto grinned. "Come on, I bet you're hungry by now. Let's get back to Tazuna's place."

Sasuke looked over and nodded.

* * *

Soon afterward, Naruto and Sasuke came through the door to the Tazuna residence. Sasuke being supported lightly by Naruto. "He made it! Sasuke-teme made it all the way to the top!"

"That's good to hear. Sasuke, starting tomorrow you will accompany Tazuna to the bridge with the rest of us." Kakashi stated to the Uchiha.

"No problem." Sasuke stated as he sat down and dug into the food Tsunami had kept for him.

When Sasuke finished, they all drank tea while just talking, sharing a few stories and laughing. Except for Sasuke, who just let out an amused 'hn' whenever he found something funny. All this started to get to Inari, he couldn't believe they were so relaxed when they could die any day now. Images of his father and all he did for him and the village flashed through his mind, the look in his father's eyes when he had helped him and the village. Inari saw the look in Naruto's eyes, it was like his father's. He started to cry from remembering about his father. "How... how can you be so relaxed?" He said in a small voice.

Naruto looked over to Inari. "What did you say?"

Inari got up and slammed his hands on the table. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gatoh's got a whole army, they'll beat you down and they'll kill you!" Everyone was now looking at Inari. "These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do! The strong always win and the weak always lose!"

"I guess we're gonna win then!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Why don't you be quiet! Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!" Inari yelled at the blonde

Naruto's face went dark, he lowered his face lightly so the hitai-ite's shadow would cover his eyes. When Kakashi-sensei saw this, one thought went through his head. _'Kuso! That kid did not just say what I think he said. I just hope Naruto keeps his cool.'_

"Don't talk to me about suffering! I'm here to get rid of Gatoh and I'm gonna do it with or without your support! Do you know why I'm gonna get rid of him? Because he's the cause for this town's suffering. I've suffered every day for most of my life! I don't want anyone else to go through that! So you can whimper and whine all day for all I care, you're nothin' but a coward!" Naruto shouted back at Inari.

"Naruto-kun! That's harsh!" Sakura scolded the blonde.

"Hmmph! I'm gonna go on patrol and check out my clones." Naruto said as he got up and used a shunshin jutsu to leave. He didn't return that night.

* * *

"He doesn't hate you, you know?" Kakashi said as he walked up behind Inari.

Inari was sitting on the docks his house was built on. He had been there for almost half an hour now going over the things Naruto had told him. When he heard the jounin's words, he just looked back at him.

"I know what he said was harsh but that's what Naruto's life was until a few years back, even then he still had troubles. You may not know it but Naruto also grew up without a father, actually, he never knew either of his parents. He had almost no friends but I've never seen him cry, sulk or give up. If he's knocked down, he gets right back up and keeps going until he can't move anymore, even then he still tries. He keeps going because that's the only way he knows. He works hard, everyday, trying to get stronger so that he can earn respect. It's his dream and he'd put his life on the line for that in a heart beat. Thanks to all that he has earned the respect and friendship of a few people around him. Now he protects those people the same as his dream. He managed this because he stopped crying and decided to do something about his life." Kakashi explained to Inari. _'With the help of a certain fox.' _Kakashi added in his thoughts.

Inari continued to look out to sea, still deep in thought.

* * *

Team 7, minus Naruto, were heading out with Tazuna to oversee the last part of the bridge being built and to keep any ninjas from killing him before it was finished, of course. "If Naruto show's up, tell him to head for the bridge as soon as possible." Kakashi asked Tsunami as they were about to leave.

"What about you? You're still recovering." Tsunami told the jounin.

"What's the matter do I look wobbly? Don't worry I'll be fine." Kakashi reassured her, at that they left.

* * *

Almost fifteen minutes after they left Naruto came through the front door of the Tazuna residence. He took a quick look about for the rest of the team but only found Tsunami in the kitchen. "Oh! Naruto-kun! Your sensei said you were to go straight to the bridge if you showed up here." She quickly told the blonde.

He grinned. "Thanks Tsunami-san! I'll..." Naruto frowned and turned his head away for a moment. When his head snapped back to look Tsunami in the eye, he had a serious look on his face. "Tsunami-san, find Inari and don't come outside until I say it's safe." Naruto slowly walked out after that.

Tsunami ran upstairs and found Inari in his room, she told him what Naruto told her and they just sat down, Inari in his mother's arms, waiting for the all-clear from Naruto.

* * *

When Naruto went through the door he saw exactly what the clone saw before it dispelled itself. Two guys with katana at their waist. A tall one, shirtless with a tattoo on his left shoulder and eye-patch over has right eye. The second, shorter, wearing a heavy coat and beanie hat and tattoos under each eye."What do you guys want here?" He asked in a monotone.

"Oh look! One of the ninja brats Tazuna hired. What should we do with him?" Asked the taller of the two in a mocking tone.

"Whatever you do, it won't work, you're not getting past me. I will not allow Gatoh to get away with what he's doing anymore." Naruto announced in a defiant tone.

"Oooooh, big words. What are you gonna do to back them up though?" Asked the the short one, drawing his sword.

Naruto... grinned? "Myself? I'm not gonna do anything but my friends behind you may have something to say." Naruto replied.

Several water clones were currently standing on the water behind the two with swords. "That has to be the oldest trick in the book, you really think we'll turn our back on you? What do-" The short ones words were quickly cut off when one of the clones struck at the back of his neck knocking him out. The same happened to the taller one a split second after he saw his partner fall.

Naruto tutted lightly. "I tried to warn you." He gave silent command for his clones to tie the two up, remove their weapons and guard them. He turned to the house and called out. "Okay Tsunami-san, Inari! It's safe to come out now!"

* * *

A few seconds later Tsunami, followed closely by Inari, opened the front door and poked the heads out. They saw Narutos tying a couple of guys up while another Naruto was doing something with a couple of katana and a scroll. The one with the scroll looked up. "Hey guys!" He rolled up the scroll and picked up the two katana. "I wanted to seal these two katana away but I don't have enough space on the scroll I have with me right now, could you two look after them for me?" He asked handing out the two to Tsunami.

"How did you beat those two? They're a lot bigger than you!" Inari yelled at the blonde.

Naruto looked down at Inari and smiled. "They may have been bigger but I was smarter, faster and stronger. Besides I already told you, I'm here to get rid of Gatoh and these two work for him, so it's just the start. Oh, and Inari, sorry for yesterday. I went a little too far with that coward thing. You're just afraid for our lives, thanks for that. I'm still gonna kick Gatoh's butt though. Which reminds me, I better get to the bridge, I'll be back later I promise. The clones will watch over you until then. See ya!" Naruto brought his hands up into a seal and a small shock wave went out from him. He'd just lowered the level of the weight seal and after a second he disappeared.

* * *

**Author Note;  
**Whew! Another chapter that didn't want to end, hope ya like it!


	13. The Battlefield, The Bridge

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ON TO THE FANFICTION!

Chapter 13 – The Battlefield, The Bridge

* * *

**Last time:**

Naruto looked down at Inari and smiled. "They may have been bigger but I was smarter, faster and stronger. Besides I already told you, I'm here to get rid of Gatoh and these two work for him, so it's just the start. Oh, and Inari, sorry for yesterday. I went a little too far with that coward thing. You're just afraid for our lives, thanks for that. I'm still gonna kick Gatoh's butt though. Which reminds me, I better get to the bridge, I'll be back later I promise. The clones will watch over you until then. See ya!" Naruto brought his hands up into a seal and a small shock wave went out from him. He'd just lowered the level of the weight seal and after a second he disappeared.

**This Chapter:**

On the way to the bridge, team 7 and Tazuna, minus Naruto, came across the workers from the bridge all running the opposite direction. "Tazuna-san, go back to your home. It looks like there's trouble at the bridge, we'll take of it." Kakashi ordered the bridge builder.

Tazuna didn't need to be told twice. "Good luck." He said quickly before turning around and running back.

"Okay you two, be on guard. Naruto's clones probably saved those workers, by now though Zabuza has probably taken care of them." Kakashi warned Sasuke and Sakura before they started for the bridge. They both replied with a strong 'HAI!'.

* * *

They got to the bridge to find some signs of a fight and some puddles of water where Naruto's water clones had been destroyed. There was also a thick mist surrounding the middle of the bridge. "You finally came out, I was starting to think you were afraid." Zabuza called from the middle of the mist. "I was getting annoyed with these clones that the blonde gaki left here. I was hoping he'd be with you as well so I could repay him for what he did to me. I guess I'll have to wait a little while and make do with you three." Several of Zabuza's water clones appeared around the three on the bridge. "Oh look. That one's still trembling from last time." Zabuza taunted, referring to Sasuke, who was indeed trembling.

Sasuke looked up at the clones and tightened the grip on his kunai. "I'm trembling with... excitement!"

"Go ahead Sasuke." Kakashi told him.

In just a few seconds every clone was destroyed by the Uchiha, each one creating a puddle of water. _'I could see it.'_

"Oooh, so you could see they were water clones huh? That brats improving. Looks like you got a rival Haku." Zabuza taunted again as he and Haku walked into view from the mist. They could see Zabuza had bandages where his gaping wounds used to be. The bandages were probably just to cover the scars.

"So it seems, Zabuza-sama. I would have preferred to have punished the blonde one for his attack on you but this one will do." Haku stated flatly.

_'So it's true, Naruto was the one who made those wounds on him. How did he do it when I couldn't even hit him with the shadow shuriken jutsu?' _Sasuke thought, seething slightly that Naruto could do such damage.

_'Naruto-kun did that? I thought Kakashi-sensei did that somehow. Why didn't he say something when we reported to Kakashi-sensei!' _Sakura thought, looking at the bandages.

* * *

Naruto was nothing more than blur when he passed the men he recognized from the bridge and Tazuna running back to his home. He had received the memories of his clones and it looked like Zabuza was back, fighting ready, even with the bandages. He wanted to lower the weight seal further to get there faster but lowering it would take too much time. Time he needed to get to the bridge and help his team defeat Zabuza and Haku. _'Haku, I hope I don't have to kill you.' _He thought as he doubled his efforts to get to the bridge.

* * *

The two groups just stared at each other for a moment, team 7 had taken a formation so as to watch out for any surprise attacks. "So you really were working together. Seems Naruto was right about you two. Looks like you've been pulling scams like that for a long time." Kakashi stated.

"He's got some nerve facing us again after pulling that trick!" Sakura huffed in anger.

"And hiding behind a mask, who does he think he's fooling." Kakashi went on.

"Look who's talking, sensei." Sakura replied with an amused grin.

"That's it I'm taking him down! Who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown." Sasuke stated calmly.

"Sasuke you're so cool!" Sakura exclaimed, fawning over the Uchiha.

_'Didn't I just say something like that?' _Kakashi thought, while a large bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

* * *

Zabuza and Haku watched them banter with a bit of pity over the jounin for having a fan-girl on the team. "He's impressive, even though they were just 1/10 the strength of the original water clones, he did destroy them all." Haku stated in his monotone.

"That move still gave us the first advantage, use it!" Zabuza ordered Haku.

"Hai!" Haku disappeared in a small tornado heading straight towards Sasuke.

Sasuke was surprised to see the tornado coming right at him. "What's this!?" He swiftly took up a defensive stance, bringing both hands holding kunai up in front of him.

There was a small 'ting' as the small sebon hit the larger kunai. _'So he can keep up with Haku's speed.' _Zabuza thought as he watched the two block each other's blows with their respective weapons.

"Sakura stay back for now. Provide help for Sasuke if he needs it." Kakashi ordered the pink haired kunoichi.

"Hai!" She quickly took out a kunai for her right hand and a handful of shuriken for her left. Ready to attack if need be.

* * *

The two spun quickly trying to attack the other and block at the same time. All they succeeded in doing was coming back to a stand-off. "We want the bridge builder, not you. If you leave now, I won't have to kill you." Haku stated in the same monotone voice.

"Save it! As you can see, the bridge builder isn't here right now, we're here to get rid of threats." Sasuke spat back.

"You're making a mistake, you won't be able to keep up with my speed. I've gained two key advantages." Haku stated in his monotone once again.

"Yeah? What are they?" Sasuke asked not believing a word Haku was saying.

"First, we're surrounded by water. Second, I've blocked one of your hands, therefore you only have one free hand to defend yourself." Haku said, again in the same monotone. He then started going through one handed hand-seals.

_'What!? Using one hand!?' _Sasuke thought, a small amount of panic rising.

_'Hand-seals with a single hand I've never seen that before!' _Kakashi thought, fearing for his student.

Haku finished his hand-seals and stated the name of the jutsu. "Sensatsu Suisho." He slammed his foot into a puddle of water and created some splashes in the air.

_'He doesn't wanna kill the kid? Does he mean that!?' _Zabuza thought watching the fight unfold.

The splashes of water quickly froze into many sharp needles. "Sasuke!" Sakura yelled out in fear. She didn't know what to do.

_'Remember the training! I've got to summon the chakra at once... and direct it to my feet!' _Sasuke thought as he molded the necessary chakra.

A second before the needles moved in for the kill, a blur sped past Kakashi and Sakura. The blur quickly multiplied and surrounded Haku and Sasuke and destroyed the ice needles. The cloud from the shattered needles covered the newcomer and his clones. "Sorry I'm a little late, had to save Tsunami and Inari from a couple of thugs." Naruto announced as the smoke cleared, revealing him, plus five clones, holding kunai in each hand. "Hey Sasuke-teme! Need any help with the hunter-nin?"

"Dobe! I can take care of this!" Sasuke called out as he took the kunai in his free hand and flicked it at Haku's face. Haku dodged by ducking down, allowing Sasuke to kick him in the face. The chakra he had directed to his feet for escape, he instead used it to add more force into his kick, causing the mask to crack slightly.

Haku Skidded to a halt next to Zabuza. "The blonde gaki!" Zabuza shouted looking at Naruto with murder in his eye. He threw six shuriken, one for each Naruto. Instead of dodging, all Naruto's brought up their kunai and knocked each shuriken away. Zabuza chuckled. "Good, I wouldn't want you dying too quickly on me." He looked over to Haku. "You gonna take that from the kid with the duck-ass on his head?"

Haku got up slowly as he placed a hand on his mask feeling the damage. "Very well. If you insist on continuing this fight, I will show you what real speed is." Haku formed a hand-seal no one had seen before, except for Zabuza. "Makyo Hyosho!" The water that surrounded Sasuke started to rise and freeze as Haku's jutsu took form. Mirrors surrounded Sasuke on every side and above him, creating what looks like a dome to everyone outside it. Haku formed a mirror next to him and entered it, reappearing a split-second later in the mirror's of the dome.

"What the hell is that!" Sakura yelled.

_'What the hell is this?' _Sasuke thought to himself looking at the image of Haku in each mirror.

"This can't be good." Naruto said, looking at the ice from the outside, his clones still surrounding the dome.

"I get it now. It's a Kekkei Genkai!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"A Kekkei Genkai?" Sakura asked looking over to Kakashi.

"It's an ability that's passed down through the blood, like my sharingan. It has to be in your genetic code for you to be able to use it. Which means I can't copy it." Kakashi explained to her.

* * *

"In here I can attack you from any direction, you cannot defend yourself.**" **Haku stated and he started his barrage, cutting Sasuke with every pass he made.

_'How did he do that!? I couldn't even see the senbon! Is he using clones in the mirrors to throw the senbon at the same time? No, it's too fast for that. Before I worry about that I may as well try getting out of here.' _Sasuke thought as he looked at the mirrors again. He sped through hand-seals that were very familiar to him. He finished and called out his jutsu. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A stream of flame flew from his mouth, impacting with the ice mirror directly in front of him.

Sasuke dropped the jutsu and was horrified to see that the ice mirror hadn't even cracked. "You're going to need a fire much larger and hotter than that to melt these mirrors." Haku stated calmly from within the mirrors.

* * *

"Sakura! We need to help Sasuke, right now or else he's in serious trouble. Take off your weights, now!" Naruto yelled at Sakura.

"Hai!" She stored the weapons she had taken out and released the safety catches on the weights around her wrists and let them drop, creating a splash when they landed in a puddle. The ones around her shins soon followed.

"Kakashi-sensei, can you keep Zabuza busy while we help Sasuke?" Naruto asked Kakashi as he looked over to him.

"I'll try my best." Kakashi said as he went to lift his hitai-ite off his left eye.

Zabuza dashed at Kakashi. "Oh no you don't!" He yelled drawing a kunai and bringing it down over Kakashi's left eye. Kakashi blocked at the last moment. "You're no fun Kakashi using the same old trick."

"If it's just an old trick, why did you stop me?" Kakashi asked Zabuza.

"Let your opponent see your jutsu too many times and he'll turn it against you." Zabuza explained.

"Count yourself lucky. You're the only enemy to see my sharingan twice, there won't be a third time." Kakashi spat back.

"Even if you do beat me you can't beat Haku." Zabuza taunted.

* * *

Haku had just let loose another barrage of senbon on Sasuke, creating even more cuts and open wounds.

"Don't worry Sasuke, me and Sakura will figure out a way to help you!" Naruto yelled into the dome. "Okay Sakura I want you to get in there and defend Sasuke, I'll bring these mirrors down from here."

Sakura nodded to him and dashed into the dome, disappearing as she went, going through hand-seals as she appeared in front of Sasuke. She stopped on a hand-seal, waiting for the next attack to come. She felt it before she saw it but it was enough, as soon as she felt the first needle hit she went to the final seal and blocked every other hit. "Tatsumaki Benso no Jutsu! (Tornado Defense)" A sphere of swirling wind surrounded Sasuke and Sakura, every needle that tried to hit them was caught in the wind and flung to the floor.

When the barrage ended, Sakura dropped the jutsu. Sasuke was looking at Sakura with wide eyes. "When did you learn that?" He asked awestruck.

"Like it, Sasuke-kun? It's one of the defensive jutsus Naruto-senpai taught me." Sakura said looking over her shoulder at Sasuke with a smile. _'I hope he finds a way to destroy these mirrors some time soon I won't be able to use that jutsu much.' _Sakura started going through the same hand-seals again and stopped at the same one holding the jutsu until it was needed.

"Interesting, you're stronger than I expected. You won't last very long though." Haku stated looking to the two in his dome.

* * *

_'How am I supposed to get through this? The chakra is literally pouring off these mirrors it's making them incredibly tough. No wonder that fireball of his didn't melt them.' _Naruto was broken out of his thought's when he had to dodge an attack from Haku coming out of the mirror he was studying.

"I don't know how you dodged my attack but there is no way you can help your friends." Haku stated calmly as he returned to the mirror.

It was simple really, Naruto had activated his fox eye jutsu and that helped him see the attack coming. _'If you really think that Haku, then you don't understand how powerful I am. These are my teammate's, my friend's lives on the line.' _He thought of his plan and summoned a shadow clone to relay it to the other shadow clones surrounding the dome. He was going to fight chakra with chakra.

* * *

"He was just a street urchin when I found him but I trained him in the most advanced ninja techniques. I've taught him everything I know and he developed his own abilities. Soon he could take on the strongest opponent, outnumbered, in the darkness, it doesn't matter, he strikes with deadly accuracy. There's no way those genin punks can beat Haku. He's the ultimate weapon." Zabuza ranted on, lowering the kunai he attacked with.

"Are you finished bragging? You're starting to bore me. Let's finish this, now!" Kakashi said forcefully, fully uncovering his sharingan.

"I don't think so!" Zabuza leapt back a bit and went through hand-seals. "Kiri Gakure no Jutsu." He said calmly as the mist enveloping the area grew thicker. "You see, another of Haku's abilities is being able to see a jutsu once and then find it's weakness and a way to counter it." Zabuza explained from the mist. "Did you really think I would take your attacks like that, like some rank genin? I took them so Haku could figure out your Kekkei Genkai and he did. He figured out that were two parts, the piercing eye, which allows you to copy my movements and jutsu and the hypnotic eye which unsettles your opponent giving you an opening to use any jutsu you might have copied during the fight. Knowing this, I've employed a simple plan to defeat you." Zabuza explained, seemingly from somewhere else.

* * *

Another barrage was let loose on them and again Sakura activated the jutsu as soon as she felt the first senbon, protecting them from the rest of the attack. _'Wait a second I saw something there.' _Sasuke thought as he watched the barrage from inside the protective sphere. He was watching the water droplets kicked up by the jutsu. _'The water it's being repelled, if I can follow the pattern I might be able to attack him preemptively, if only I can get a chance to attack out of this sphere.' _The barrage died down and Sakura dropped the jutsu and was going through the hand-seals to get ready again when Sasuke spoke. "Wait , Sakura! Don't use the jutsu on both of us next time, only use it to cover yourself, I'm gonna try something." He explained in a hurried whisper.

She didn't like it but she agreed with a silent nod. She sidestepped a little until she was far enough away to only envelope herself in the jutsu. _'Don't get hurt Sasuke-kun.' _She pleaded silently. She felt another needle hit her and she quickly finished the jutsu blocking all other senbon and kicking up more water.

_'That's it!' _Sasuke saw more of the water be repelled and burned the pattern into his memory. He tried ignoring the senbon as much as possible and realized something. _'Wait a second, the senbon, they aren't hitting any vital parts. All these wounds are superficial, they sting but they aren't life-threatening. He really isn't trying to kill us!'_Kakashi looked about, panic almost setting in. He started hearing a sound coming from his left and recognized them to be the sounds of flying shuriken. He took out a kunai and swiftly blocked each shuriken. "Impressive, as is expected from Kakashi of the sharingan eye." Zabuza stated as he appeared from the mist behind Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi turned to face him and discovered something. "What!? Your eyes are closed!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"That's right, I use the mist to nullify your piercing eye and I close my eyes to nullify your hypnotic eye. Too bad for you Kakashi I can work just as well blind as when I can see. The next time you see me will be your last. Now, time for some payback." Zabuza explained as he disappeared into the mist again.

"Payback?... Naruto!" Kakashi yelled.

* * *

Naruto was about to charge at the mirrors when Kakashi yelled his name. "Wha-?" He was suddenly flooded with the memories of the clones that had also been ready to attack and jumped.

Naruto narrowly dodged the blade that was aimed to slash at his mid-section. "Not bad, but can you keep it up?" Zabuza taunted as Naruto landed a few feet away and he brought the zanbatō up for another swing.

"I don't have time for this!" Naruto had charged up his chakra armor to drill into the mirrors and then destroy them with a layer of condensed chakra behind it but Zabuza's surprise attack on him caused him to lose it. Not only that but now he had to recreate the clones. "Zabuza, I can't take that much time with you, so I'm gonna have to use something I've never really tried in battle before." Naruto announced as he went through the hand-seals, his hands a blur. "Kitsune Bikou no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as nine red-orange tails with white tips emerged behind him.

"What kind of jutsu is that? What are you gonna do tickle me to death?" Zabuza taunted glaring at the blonde.

What Zabuza didn't expect was for two of the tails to lash out at him. He managed to block one with his zanbatō but was struck in the stomach by the second, it hit harder than he thought. "Still think it's a joke?" Naruto taunted as he withdrew the tails.

Zabuza reached up and pulled the bandages, now with a little blood soaking through them, from his face, spitting out blood once his mouth was uncovered. "That's twice I've underestimated you because of your strange looking jutsu, there won't be a third time." Zabuza left the bandages hanging from his face as he hefted the zanbatō up into a slashing position and dashed at Naruto. He brought his zanbatō down in a diagonal slash that should have gone from Naruto's shoulder to his hip. Instead it was redirected by one of Naruto's tails and was buried into the surface of the bridge.

Naruto saw his opening and ran up the blade's spine, going to kick Zabuza's face. Zabuza saw it coming and released his zanbatō to block and counter the attack by grabbing Naruto's leg and slamming him down into the ground. Zabuza followed up with a kick to Naruto's gut that sent him skidding along the ground. It wasn't until he did this that he noticed that two tails seemed to be stretching, holding on to something behind him. He looked back in time to dodge his own blade, Naruto had grabbed it's hilt with one tail and looped the second tail through the hole near the tip of the blade. He had then retracted the tails quickly trying to hit Zabuza with the flat side of the blade. He brought the tails to a stop next to his body and he got up. He spat blood out of his mouth and grabbed the blades hilt and hefted it up on his shoulders, the fact that he was short made the blade look even bigger. "This zanbatō you got ain't half bad! A little heavy, so it wouldn't be very useful against a fast enemy. Must have taken time to master, huh?" Naruto ranted as he grinned at Zabuza.

_'I don't believe it, he got my blade off me! And he's actually able to handle the weight!' _Zabuza thought, glaring slightly at Naruto. "Tell you what kid, if you can kill me, you can keep it!" He shouted at the blonde.

"Seriously? Awesome! I better get started then!" Naruto grasped the hilt with one hand and a tail for better control, he swung it out so he was holding it parallel to the ground to his right. He dashed at Zabuza, getting ready to cut at his mid-section.

Zabuza saw the attack coming a mile away, which meant one thing it was a cover for a second attack.

* * *

Sasuke was looking the worse for ware, he had been attacked several times now. He had managed to burn Haku's pants slightly in one of the attacks, but only slightly. His body was covered in cuts and a few senbon were sticking out of his legs from when he had tried to run out of the dome on one side and Sakura had tried another.

Sakura wasn't doing well either she had to stop using the jutsu before the last two attacks or she wouldn't have enough chakra to carry on. Right now she was opting to using the speed boost that dropping the weights gave her to dodge some of the senbon, some where sticking out of her arms and legs and she was tiring fast.

Sasuke looked over to Sakura. It was mainly thanks to her running about that he could get Haku that one time. Because she was running about Haku was concentrating more on her, that allowed him to use his jutsu. It also allowed him to get used to Haku's movements more. It had taken a toll on her though.

Haku started another barrage of his senbon. Sakura started running again, trying to dodge as many as possible and even trying to get out of the dome only to be stopped by Haku and struck, she was sent back into the middle of the dome. "I've had enough of this. This time you're going to stay down!" Haku stated.

Sakura was out cold for the moment. The hit was harder than it looked. Sasuke looked up to the mirrors to see Haku throwing more needles. He picked up a senbon and rushed in front of Sakura blocking each one Haku had thrown. "Sakura! Get up!" He shouted over his shoulder.

_'He blocked the senbon! That's not possible! His earlier attack seemed like a fluke but this was more than just luck. He's following my movements.' _Haku thought as he let loose another barrage of senbon, only for them to be deflected by Sasuke again.

_'Focus, gotta watch everything! Watch for any movement!' _Sasuke thought, watching Haku as he changed from one mirror to another. That's when he saw it, Haku threw a few senbon at Sakura next to his feet. He ducked down and grabbed Sakura by the back of her dress and jumped out of the way of the senbon, using his chakra to jump faster and higher.

_'He saw every move but... there's no way he could do that!' _Haku thought as he watched the two. Sasuke snapped his head back up at that moment letting Haku get a full-on view of his newly acquired sharingan.

* * *

Naruto swiped his sword across, going for Zabuza's mid-section. _'Alright, so where's the second attack coming from?' _Zabuza thought, looking around for the attack he thought was coming.

Kakashi dashed from the mist, kunai in hand, aiming for Zabuza's back. _'Good work, Naruto! Now I can finish him off!' _He thought as he came up to Zabuza's back.

"I don't think so!" Zabuza yelled as he turned around and with his own kunai, deflected Kakashi's. He then went on to slash Kakashi along the arm with the kunai, blood spattered over the bandages covering Zabuza's left hand.

Kakashi charged chakra to his feet and used it to leap forward into the mist again, rolling as he landed, clutching at his cut arm. _'Perfect.' _He thought taking out a scroll from his vest, unraveling it and wiping blood from his arm along it.

Naruto looked on as blood dripped off his kunai. "That was the plan? To have your sensei attack me? You're gonna have to do better than that!" Zabuza yelled as he was engulfed by the mist.

_'Damn, I can't keep going like this I need to help Sasuke and Sakura!' _Naruto thought while looking about watching out for the slightest movement. He saw it, out of the corner of his eye, movement, Zabuza's hand appeared from the mist brandishing the same kunai that had cut Kakashi. Naruto couldn't bring the zanbatō around fast enough to block it. He started spinning the chakra covering his left hand and brought it up to block the kunai, the spin was started slightly too late though, as the kunai drove it's way through Naruto's hand. He winced slightly at the pain but then brought himself eye to eye with Zabuza, a grin on his face. He moved his eight remaining tails quickly to ensnare Zabuza, his right hand and one tail still holding on to the zanbatō. The tails grabbed Zabuza's right arm and pulled it as far away from his body as possible without breaking it, making sure he couldn't perform any jutsu.

It wasn't until then Zabuza saw that Naruto's eye's weren't the usual blue he saw in the forest before, they were blood red and the pupil's had become slits. "What are you!?" He asked as he tried to free himself from the tails.

"Your worst nightmare! Kakashi-sensei! Can you take it from here I need to help the others!" Naruto called into the mist.

"Alright Naruto! Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!" Kakashi called from the mist. A second later several ninken appeared from under ground and rooted Zabuza to the spot while Naruto retracted his tails and slid his impaled hand off the kunai, wincing once again.

"There, Kakashi-sensei can take care of you now. I gotta save my friends." Naruto told Zabuza as he ran into the mist heading for the ice dome, his hand already starting to heal.

Kakashi walked out of the mist and stopped a few feet from Zabuza. "Hello, I'll be your executioner today since Naruto wants to save his friends, don't hold it against him, he would have killed you himself if they were safe." Kakashi announced in a chipper voice, as if he were talking to a friend.

* * *

"I see you have a Kekkei Genkai as well." Haku stated looking upon Sasuke.

_'It's not complete but I can see his attacks with it and that's enough.' _Sasuke thought as he just watched Haku go through his mirrors again. His sharingan blazing, one eye with only one tomoe and one with two tomoe.

_'To discover this power in the midst of a lethal attack, is an amazing feat. It must be because she is in danger.' _Haku thought looking at Sakura's unconscious form, a few feet away from Sasuke. _'He is determined because his friend and teammate is in danger, amazing. I'm afraid I won't be able to fight much longer my chakra is running low and using this jutsu takes a lot of chakra. His sharingan also takes energy and the more I fight, the more he uses it, even now he's watching my every move, waiting for me to attack. I can't attack him directly he'll just evade it, which means I'll have to throw him off guard by attacking his teammate and then take him down.' _Haku thought as he moved his aim over to Sakura.

Haku leapt out of his mirror towards Sakura, senbon at the ready. Sasuke saw it. _'No! I've got to stop him!' _Sasuke charged chakra to his feet to give him extra speed. Sasuke stopped in Haku's path and struck his face, he grabbed an arm and swung Haku around flinging him into a mirror. There was a problem though as Sasuke had done that Haku had thrown two handfuls of senbon straight at him. They pierced his body, causing small droplets of blood to spurt out and land on Sakura's prone body. _'Naruto, you better save her, because I couldn't.'_

* * *

Naruto arrived at the dome of ice, he took a few minutes to envelope the zanbatō in his Rasen Kikou. He then condensed the chakra and sharpened it, getting ready to release it all when he hit the mirrors. He hefted the zanbatō into a slashing position again and swung at the mirrors. Each mirror shattered as the blade went through it.

Haku looked over to the destroyed mirrors and saw the one person he did not want to see at that moment. Naruto stepped through the smoke still brandishing the zanbatō. "Hey guys mi-" Too late, he saw Sasuke's body, full of senbon, fall. He dropped the zanbatō out of shock.

Naruto dashed forward but it was already too late. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the body hit the ground. Then he saw Sakura's body, on the ground, in a heap, behind where Sasuke had stood, some blood decorating her face and clothes. He turned to Haku, murder in his eyes. _'Kyu-sensei, I'm gonna start taking some of your chakra, don't bother purifying it.'_

_**'No, Naruto it's not what it looks like!'**_ Kyuubi shouted in Naruto's mind.

It was too late, Naruto's mind was already clouded with the single thought of taking revenge. Kyuubi's chakra leaked into his Rasen Kikou and now there were streaks of red showing around his form. His nails elongated, his birthmarks deepened, his hair grew more feral, his canines elongated and his tails glowed brightly as they were waving about viciously, right now, if looks could kill, even the smallest single-celled organism wouldn't be alive in his field of vision.

* * *

"-I won't be using some stolen-" Kakashi stopped his sentence as he felt Kyuubi's chakra. _'That can't be good! Has he broken the seal? No, this is just a fraction of Kyuubi's chakra, he's just drawing the chakra through the seal.' _He thought.

Zabuza was looking wide-eyed at the area the chakra was coming from. "What... what is that?" He asked in a slightly scared and awed tone.

"That would be Naruto. You're lucky he didn't bring out that power against you, he probably would have killed you in a split-second." Kakashi explained in a chipper voice. "Oh, yes. This is not a stolen jutsu, it's my only original jutsu and I'm going to use it to kill you."

* * *

"Naruto, I-" Haku didn't get to finish what he wanted to say as he was punched and sent flying straight through the ice mirror behind him. The mask shattered and fell from his face as he slammed into the wall on the side of the bridge. Naruto looked at Haku from the same spot, waiting for him to get up. Haku was getting up slowly, he spat some blood from his mouth, his clothes had ripped from skidding on the ground and it looked like he'd lost quite a lot of skin from it as well.

When Haku stood up straight, Naruto sprinted forward disappearing for a second reappearing in front of Haku gripping his collar and about to punch his head off. He didn't want to but the look in Haku's eyes made him stop. He could see them, regret, some fear and... joy? "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry for what I did to your friends but it was Zabuza-sama's will. I'm glad that you are the one to kill me though, I have become a broken tool and you, my friend would be the first person I wish to end my life and save me from the suffering." Haku said sadly, looking into Naruto's blood-red eyes.

Naruto dropped the power in his fist and knocked Haku in the jaw again, keeping a firm hold on to Haku's collar. "How can you say that! You're a person, not just some tool! Your life has value! You should fight right now! Instead you've been knocked down and can't be bothered to get back up because you think you have nothing left!"

"Even your friendship cannot save me for failing Zabuza. He saved me, from a meaningless existence. He gave me a purpose I became his tool, his weapon, nothing more." Haku stated.

"YOU STILL DON'T GET IT!? DO YOU!?" Naruto stopped his rant as the sound of chirping birds filled the air. The mist thinned and Haku and Naruto looked over to the source of the sound. What Haku saw caused him knock Naruto's hand away from him, freeing him. He performed some one handed hand-seals and vanished. "KUSO!" Naruto shouted as he sprinted toward where he knew Haku was heading, leaving a slight after image in his wake.

* * *

Kakashi had formed his Chidori, his only original technique. He was currently dashing at Zabuza ready to use his technique to deliver the finishing blow. Aiming directly for the heart.

_'Damn. The kid didn't kill me and he still gets the sword, I would have preferred to face him head on though. I just hope Haku gets through this. With all that's happened to him through his life, I don't want him to turn into me, he's just too damn... innocent!' _Zabuza thought as he watched the handful of charged chakra coming towards him.

Kakashi was just a few feet away now, he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He didn't expect Haku to appear from a mirror from next to Zabuza and stand in the way, as well as destroy his jutsu by hitting the scroll with senbon. There was something else he didn't expect either and that was for Naruto to crash through the ice mirror and push Haku out of the way.

Naruto spun his Rasen Kikou like crazy, he just hoped that the mixture of Kyuubi's chakra with it would make it strong enough to block the attack. Thankfully, he didn't need to block the full on attack, the momentum of his entry meant he landed awkwardly. He wasn't standing directly in front of Zabuza but he was covering the heart. He felt it when Kakashi's Chidori hit the Rasen Kikou covering his right shoulder, it caused him to fall back onto Zabuza and the Chidori to glance off his Rasen Kikou and hit Zabuza in his right lung, going through the scar that Naruto had created in their first fight.

Zabuza hacked up blood as his lungs filled with it, there was no way he could survive this and he knew it. The ninken disappeared in puffs of smoke seeing as the ninjutsu scroll that brought them there was disrupted. Zabuza started falling back as Naruto leaned forward. He clutched to the gaping wound in his chest trying to draw breath, without drowning in his own blood.

Haku was on his knees where Naruto had knocked him to. He was glancing back and forth from his friend, who had just risked his life to save him, to the person that had given him a purpose, who he had just let down. He couldn't decide what he should be feeling, thankful that his friend saved him or regretful because he let down his teacher and guardian. He didn't get much time to think this though as a seedy looking, short man with his arm in a cast, appeared at the end of the bridge, followed by a few hundred thugs armed with all manner of weapons and farming equipment.

"Well, well, so this is how it turned out? He's done quite a number on you hasn't he Zabuza? You look more like a kitten than a demon right now! I must say I'm disappointed. Oh, look, your little lap dog survived as well, now I can get revenge for my arm." The man announced, looking over the scene in front of him.

Zabuza coughed up more blood as he rolled his body on to it's side so as to get a better view of the man who had just appeared. "Gatoh?" Zabuza rasped out.

"What are you doing here?" Haku asked out loud.

"There's been a change of plans. Seeing as your dying on this bridge today, then you're no longer on the payroll, after all you failed to get the bridge builder, he isn't even here. I've gotten these men together to take you down and the bridge builder later on. Of course these men cost me money, so if you feel like taking some out, feel free." Gatoh proclaimed.

"Looks like we're not enemies anymore, now that Gatoh has terminated our contract." Haku stated as he got up. He slowly walked over to Zabuza and kneeled next to him. "Do you wish for me to take revenge Zabuza-sama?"

"No." Zabuza coughed up more blood. "Slow down the bleeding in my lung." More coughed up blood. "I can last-" More blood. "-long enough to kill that grease-ball-" He coughed once more. "-myself!" Haku did as he asked and slowed down the bleeding. He then helped him up. "When this is over, I want you to go back with that blonde Konoha nin." Zabuza paused for breath and hacked up more blood. "You are his tool now, he and his sensei bested me and he managed to get my blade off me." He paused again and hacked up more blood. "If I'm still alive after killing the grease-ball, I want him to finish me off with my blade, he can keep it afterwards." Zabuza hacked up a lot of blood he'd been holding back. "And stay out of this fight, understood Haku?" Zabuza looked Haku in the eyes.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama. I will stay back." Haku replied, not daring disobey his last order.

"If you think I'm gonna let you have Gatoh all to yourself, you got another thing coming Zabuza." Naruto announced, appearing behind the two, the zanbatō balancing on his shoulders. His red eyes blazing at the prospect of ridding the land of the scum, Gatoh. "Besides, you look like you could use a hand, or a tail." He went on, a tail wrapping around the hilt of the zanbatō and the rest ready to support Zabuza when he was ready to go. "I'll try and keep those thugs off you, you can land the finishing blow to Gatoh if you want, I don't really care as long as he's gone."

"Fine, but do you expect me to finish him with my bare hands?" Naruto tossed a kunai to Zabuza who caught it with the hand he wasn't using to stem the blood flow from his chest. "I guess this will do." Zabuza stated calmly as he motioned for Haku to let him stand on his own.

Naruto wrapped a couple of tails around Zabuza's waist as three stayed behind Naruto and another three covered Zabuza's back. "Ready to go?" Naruto asked as a red claw made of chakra flared on his left hand and he brought the zanbatō up in front of Zabuza to block any attacks.

"You really are a demon from the leaf aren't you? Just don't drag me along, I'll run as much as I can, I still have my dignity." Zabuza replied. As soon as the last word left his mouth they both started forward. Gatoh started sweating profusely when he saw the two... demon's coming towards him.

"What are you idiot's waiting for!? Take care of them!" Gatoh yelled to the crowd of thugs as he hobbled his way through to get back to the boat he had arrived in.

"**You're going no where, Gatoh! You're going to pay for what you did to the people of these lands!**" Naruto shouted in a demonic voice as he started tearing through the crowd with his claw and the zanbatō, Zabuza striking out every now and then. A lot of the thugs were mowed down by the zanbatō in the first few minutes. None of them stood a chance.

They finally made it through the crowd and found Gatoh trying to untie the boat. "Hey short-stuff, I still have business with you!" Zabuza called the short man, coughing up more blood. Gatoh stopped and his face went pale as he looked over to his pursuers. Coming to a quick decision he started running again, heading for the unfinished part of the bridge.

"Should we chase him some more or do you want to end it?" Naruto asked the battered Demon of the Mist.

"Let's finish this I want to be conscious when I kill him." Zabuza replied, getting a little woozy from blood loss.

"Okay!" Naruto shouted as he rushed forward. When Gatoh came into view again Naruto leapt forward, stretching the tails holding Zabuza so as not to drag him along. When he got within range he slashed out with his clawed hand and made three cuts on Gatoh's leg.

Gatoh screamed in pain and fear when he felt the cuts. They caused him to fall forward on his face, he clutched at his leg, more pain rushing through it. "I never told you how I terminate my contracts did I Gatoh?" Zabuza asked the cowering man as he walked over, more blood coming from his mouth, which only made him seem more fierce and horrifying. "When I terminate a contract, I also terminate my employer!" Zabuza slashed across Gatoh's throat and then buried the kunai in Gatoh's heart. "I'm done here." Zabuza stated as he stood up straight again, being supported by Naruto's tails.

"Do you want me to finish you now or do you want me to go back so you can see Haku once more?" Naruto asked, looking up from Gatoh's body.

"I don't want Haku to see me killed up close. Finish me here, I can feel myself losing consciousness from lack of blood already." Naruto nodded and turned to face Zabuza, bracing Zabuza's body with his tails. He brought the zanbatō up, using both hands instead of his tail.

"You were a good ninja, Zabuza. It's just too bad that Konoha won't accept missing nins from other hidden villages." Naruto said before he slashed across Zabuza's throat and then diagonally over Zabuza's torso, effectively killing him. Naruto had a couple of tails take the zanbatō from him. He used the bandages around Zabuza's neck to cover the slit throat. He shunshined back to the others.

* * *

Naruto appeared in a puff of smoke between Kakashi and Haku. "Is Gatoh gone?" Haku asked looking at Zabuza's body.

"Hai, Zabuza dealt the finishing blow." Naruto replied. He looked over to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei? You got another one of those body storage scrolls? I wish to take Zabuza back to Konoha, to be buried." Naruto asked his sensei.

Kakashi just nodded, took out a scroll and tossed it to Naruto, who swiftly caught it. Naruto unrolled the scroll and gently lay Zabuza next to it. "Arigatou, Naruto-sama." Haku said in a low voice.

Naruto sealed Zabuza in the scroll, rolled it up and handed it to Haku, who accepted it with both hands. "No thanks necessary Haku, he was a good ninja, he deserves a proper burial. Don't start with the sama stuff either, I'm your friend not your master or commander. Now I need to figure out what to do about Sakura's and Sasuke's bodies."

"Naruto-sa... Naruto, they are not dead." Haku stated, looking down, gripping the scroll storing Zabuza's body, tightly. "I could not bring myself to kill them, I did not want to fail you as a friend but I did not want to fail Zabuza either. The girl is knocked out and the boy is merely in a death state. They will be fine after some rest." He explained.

Naruto looked up, surprised at Haku, as did Kakashi. Kakashi moved over to the two and checked for their pulses. He found Sakura's easily but as he was going to check for Sasuke's, Sasuke got up. "What happened to me?" Sasuke asked groggily. Kakashi turned back to look at Naruto and nodded his head.

Naruto looked back at Haku with some tears coming to the corners of his eyes. He brought up a hand and laid it on Haku's shoulder. "Thank you, Haku. Sorry to do this to you but my energy is gonna leave me in a few seconds." Naruto said to Haku as the red streaks of chakra left him. "I'm gonna lose consciousness any moment now. Please, don't tell my teammates about the power I used on you today, or the jutsu I used." Naruto pleaded as the tails retracted and dropped the zanbatō with an audible 'clang'.

"Don't worry Naruto, I will keep your secret, for I am your friend and you are mine." Haku told him with a sad smile. Naruto smiled back tiredly as his features returned to normal, he blinked as the fox eye jutsu left him. He blinked a few more times as he heard Inari and a lot of people yell something about being free before he finally lost himself to exhaustion.

* * *

**Author Note;**  
Another chapter over. I have to say it was fun writing the fight in this one, I'm just sorry there wasn't more action.


	14. Another Mission or a Test?

Before I start this chapter I just want to thank Margulis for letting me borrow an idea from his fanfiction; Finite Life. The idea I borrowed was the law concerning Naruto which comes to light in this chapter.

Oh! And Haku is staying as a guy, that's whgat he was in the anime and I just can't see him as a girl so... yeah he's staying as a guy. Sorry to any femHaku fans out there.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ON TO THE FANFICTION!

* * *

Chapter 14 – Another mission... or a test

* * *

**Last time:**

"Don't worry Naruto, I will keep your secret, for I am your friend and you are mine." Haku told him with a sad smile. Naruto smiled back tiredly as his features returned to normal, he blinked as the fox eye jutsu left him. He blinked a few more times as he heard Inari and a lot of people yell something about being free before he finally lost himself to exhaustion.

**This Chapter:**

"**Naruto, you little baka! You used too much of my demonic chakra." **Kyuubi scolded the unconscious form of Naruto in the mindscape. A vein throbbed in Kyuubi's forehead when Naruto didn't wake up. **"WAKE UP!" **Kyuubi shouted at the blonde one.

* * *

Naruto's eye's shot open in the real world as he felt a pounding from his head. _'Damn, Kyu-sensei! Did you have to be so loud?' _Naruto berated his tenant and sensei.

**_'Yes, I did. You wouldn't wake up and after the reckless use of my chakra, I thought you deserved some kind of punishment. I tried to stop you and tell you that your teammates were alive, but no, you wouldn't listen. You took my chakra and rushed in. Kami-damn it, you're lucky that, that much demonic chakra didn't cause severely adverse effects.'_ **Kyuubi explained.

_'What are you talking about Kyu-sensei?' _Naruto asked , confusion lacing his voice.

Kyuubi mentally sighed. _**'I've already told you, the human body was never meant to handle demon chakra. Demon chakra is so different to human chakra and so much more potent than human chakra, it is actually referred to as a different energy, namely youki. When you use my youki, there is a chance of it causing your body to deteriorate and harm you. Yes, it is alright to use for short bursts in a fight but using it for prolonged periods of time without allowing your body to adapt to it first is idiocy.' **_

_'Wait a second what about in the forest? You leaked your youki into me then,why wasn't it dangerous then?' _Naruto asked, a little angry that Kyuubi was scolding him like this.

_**'When I gave you youki in the forest to practice your jutsu, I gave you the bare minimum and you were using it right away for the training. In the fight on the bridge, you held it back after drawing on so much of it. If you're going to be doing that more often I need to let you train with youki more and give you more to use. Eventually you should be able to use more and more of it without having to use it right away, hopefully your body will adapt and you'll be able to use around one tail's worth of youki without any adverse effects.' **_Kyuubi explained slowly.

_'And, what exactly can I do with one tails worth of youki?' _Asked a very interested Naruto.

_**'Trust me when I say this, if you can get a handle on controlling the youki as well as you do your chakra, one tail should be more than enough to rival a kage's chakra capacity. Although when I look at your current chakra capacity you're already well on your way to having kage level chakra capacity.' **_Kyuubi replied in complete seriousness.

_'... AWESOME! I have got to start training with youki, right now if I want it to be useful!' _Naruto exclaimed as he started getting up, only to feel a slight pain in his back, leg and hand. He looked down at his hand and leg and saw that they were wrapped in bandages, then he saw the bandages wrapped around his bare chest, they seemed to be holding some padding to his back. _'What the hell is up with this? Where did the wounds on my leg and back come from? The one on my hand is probably from that kunai Zabuza hit me with but that wouldn't have taken long to heal. What's up with the slow healing and extra wounds?' _Naruto asked Kyuubi in a confused and worried voice.

_**'I was hoping you would notice. This is another side-effect of using the youki. After using it, the healing ability I give you by using my youki to heal your wounds faster, is dampened because I don't dare use any more youki to heal you. After using that much youki in a fight, it may actually do more harm than good to use more on healing wounds.' **_Kyuubi explained in a plain, matter of fact voice. **_'This means you will have to heal at your body's natural rate until all the youki has left your system and your body has had time to recover from the stress of using it.'_**

_'Okay, that explains my hand but what about the other wounds, on my leg and back?' _Naruto pressed on.

_**'You can ask your friends about that, Kit. As for me I'm going to take a nap.' **_Kyuubi said as he settled down.

Naruto, after some painful moving about to get into a sitting position, looked about the room he was in. It was almost pitch black so he couldn't make out much but he did recognize it as the room he used in Tazuna's house. He decided to just call out in the end hoping there would be some one else in the room. Not a second after he called out, Kakashi showed up on the window sill that was just behind him and to the right. Looking through the window Naruto could see that the sun had already gone down. He greeted Naruto with his usual 'Yo.', not once taking his eyes off of his little book. "What can I do for you, Naruto?"

"Well first off, I'd like to know how long I've been out. Second, where did these wounds on my leg and back come from?" Naruto asked, going into what Kakashi liked to call, serious ninja mode.

"Well, you've been out a little over ten hours. After the fight on the bridge and you passing out, Haku, your new 'assistant' for want of a better word, picked you and the zanbatō up. It wasn't until he did this, that I noticed you had some weapons stuck in your back and a few cuts on your leg. Some of Gatoh's men must have gotten a lucky hit on you, I guess you couldn't feel them because of your using Kyuubi's chakra and the adrenalin running through your body. He shunshined away after that." Kakashi said as he retold the events.

"Wait a second. If Haku took me away, how come I'm back in Tazuna's place right now?" Naruto asked looking about, confused.

"As far as I can tell, after I finished cleaning up the bridge of the bodies. I had to haul Sakura and Sasuke back here, they're both fine by the way." Kakashi added quickly, seeing Naruto was about to ask the question. "When I arrived, Haku jumped from the trees carrying you and the zanbatō, by which time he had taken all the weapons out of your back and patched you up. Best I can tell, he hadn't gone very far to heal you and then followed me back here for somewhere safe for you to rest." Kakashi finished.

"Okay, so where is Haku now?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's currently tending to Sasuke and Sakura in the some other rooms. He thought he should try to make amends and this was the best way he could think of. I guess I should also tell you that he left the zanbatō just outside your room, he forbade anyone from touching it. He's a little over-protective and eager to please, it seems." Kakashi mused, looking over his book with his single eye.

"Can you blame him? He just lost his mentor, even after he did everything in his power to save him and that sword is something to remember him by. Now, he and the sword have been passed on to me, I'm supposed to be his friend not his owner. He's trying to show you guys that he is no longer a threat but an ally. He knows he upset me with what he did to Sakura and Sasuke and now wants to make it better." Naruto explained lowering his head. "Is this kind of shit always gonna happen wherever I go?" He said in a whisper, raising his head again.

"It might, but there's nothing you can do about it now." Kakashi replied, peeking over his book with his single eye. "Look on the bright side, the mission's almost over. Once Sasuke is recovered from the near death state and the bridge is complete, we can go back. Now get some sleep, I need someone to come with me to the bridge tomorrow and something tells me, you're the only one that will be recovered enough to go."

At that, Naruto nodded and went back to his lying position and tried sleeping again. Kakashi just jumped back to the roof.

* * *

Naruto awoke to a slight discomfort, he opened his eyes and through the haze of sleep he could see a light red aura surrounding his torso and leg. _'Thanks for the healing, Kyu-sensei.'_

_**'No problem, Kit. I estimate your body should be fine to handle youki by now. Not that you'll need it, seeing as Zabuza has been taken out there shouldn't be anymore threats. Okay, I'm done, you're good to go.' **_Kyuubi replied non-chalant.

Naruto got out of the futon covers and started undoing the bandages. He checked over where the wounds were supposed to be on his leg and hand and found some light scars. He didn't bother checking his back because he already had too many old scars to notice any new ones. He did have scars on his torso as well but they were much lighter and harder to see, unless you looked extremely close or knew where they were, like Naruto.

When he finished his inspection, he rewrapped his hands in fighting bandages to cover his knuckles, he reattached his gauntlets and he got his steel mesh shirt, pants, kunai holsters and vest back on. He found his pouches and extra kunai holsters and scroll holders and reattached them to his belt. Finally, he found his hitai-ite, which he tied to his head and his goggles, which he put around his neck as was the norm now. He looked in the mirror that was in the room, his clothes had some ware to them. His vest had some rips and tears and, strangely, some scorch marks. _'Probably from using Kyu-sensei's chakra.'_ He made a mental note to find somewhere or someone who could repair his clothes. Once done in the bathroom he grabbed the zanbatō and headed downstairs.

Downstairs he found Haku, Kakashi and Tazuna's family eating breakfast. Tsunami looked up and spotted him with the zanbatō. "Ohayou, Naruto-kun! Oh, seeing you with that sword reminds me." Tsunami got up and walked to the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with the two katana he had taken from the thugs. "You asked me to keep them for you." Tsunami said as she held them out to him.

Naruto placed the zanbatō to lean against the wall and took the katana. "Arigatou, Tsunami-san." Naruto said as he bowed to her. He turned to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, do you mind if we stop by a store on the way to the bridge? I need a scroll to keep these swords in."

Kakashi looked over his little book for a second. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He said waving his hand in a shooing gesture.

Naruto grinned and turned to Haku. "So, how are you holding up?" He asked as he walked over and sat down across from Haku.

Haku looked up from the tea he was drinking. "I shall be fine, Zabuza may have referred to me as his tool but he is still the closest thing I had to a father these last few years. I will miss him, but now, I have a friend, you, to help me through it." He answered, smiling at the last part. "I'm glad to see your wounds have healed thanks to your ability as well."

Naruto grinned back. He turned to Inari. "So, exactly how did you get all the villagers to fight back?" Naruto asked, guessing at what the last few things he heard was.

Inari flashed a big grin to him. "I just showed some courage. I couldn't leave you and your friends to do everything alone, could I?"

"Glad to hear it, Squirt." Naruto replied, grinning ear to ear.

Inari pouted at the nickname, causing everyone to snicker and giggle. "Okay that's enough of that, we better get to the bridge or else it'll never be finished." Announced Tazuna, getting up and grabbing a tool bag.

"Okay, Haku? Could you stay here and watch over Sasuke and Sakura?" Naruto asked the still snickering Haku.

"Of course, no problem, Naruto." He replied getting up. "I think I better check on them now actually. Sakura might wake up today and I need to make sure Sasuke drinks the medicinal tea if he is to recover any faster." He went on as he turned to go up stairs.

"If he won't drink it, just say I'll make him drink it when I get back!" Naruto yelled over to Haku.

At that, Kakashi, Tazuna and Naruto, after picking up his zanbatō, headed out. Naruto had to stop momentarily, telling the other two to go on without him. He needed to bring his weight seal back up to the appropriate level, after having released some of it the other day. He then had to attach the two katana to his belt and find a comfortable way of carrying his zanbatō, which was leaning it across his shoulders while holding on to the hilt with his left hand.

He caught up to them just as they entered the town. Needless to say, he got quite a few looks while walking through the streets. They were different to the stares he got back in Konoha, they were stares of admiration, respect and thanks, the things he wanted in his home village. A few people even cheered to him and Kakashi, things like, "Ninja's of the leaf rule!", "Demon killers!", "Ninja heroes!". There were some cheers directed only toward Naruto though, "Nice sword!", "Alright blondie!", "Nice going, Demon of the leaf!". The last one, even though it was hitting close to a sore spot, actually made him feel good. It made him feel closer to his village and he liked the sound of it, maybe he would introduce himself with that title from now on... maybe.

Cheering wasn't the only thing that happened, Naruto got one or two marriage proposals. He was surprised to say the least. When the father of a family walked up to him, he thought it was to provide thanks on behalf of all the family and it was. It was also to ask if Naruto would be interested in marrying his eldest daughter though. He almost fell over from surprise, the eldest daughter, he had to admit she looked good, was at least a couple of years older than him, she was blushing from next to her mother. "Thank you but I'm not quite ready for marriage yet. I'm sure your daughter will have no problem finding a good man with how beautiful she is though." He said quickly, causing the girl to blush a little more at the compliment.

The rest of the day went by fairly normally, Tazuna finished the bridge, saying he would hold off the naming and opening ceremony until the rest of the team had recovered enough to be present. Naruto managed to get a scroll, free of charge. He used three storage seals he had copied and then went over them with the ink he carried. All he had to do to finish the seal was write down what he was storing, then all he had to do was place the item, in this case his zanbatō, over the empty space and use some chakra while thinking or saying, "Seal," because that was the first sword he wanted to seal. The next two seals were filled with the katana, he decided he would fill up the rest of the scroll with more swords. He made a small promise then and there that he would take the sword of any enemies he defeated, if they carried a sword, and add it to the scroll. He also asked Kyuubi to teach him Kenjutsu, who accepted, saying he knew a few basics. He kept the scroll in his second scroll pouch, ready if he needed a weapon, now he had two empty pouches left.

* * *

Haku went ballistic when Naruto returned without the zanbatō. Naruto was almost impaled by a thousand ice needles, luckily he unsealed the zanbatō to defend himself. Thankfully, Haku calmed down after seeing it. Sakura had woken up by the time they had gotten back as well. She would be fine, she just had a split-lip, some light scratches and puncture wounds from the senbon and a small bump where her head hit the ground. She was up and about after a couple of days, she even used the weak med-jutsu Naruto had taught her to heal some of her wounds.

Sasuke was still bed ridden, not fully recovered from the near death state. He had to drink some medicinal tea, which he instantly took a disliking to. It was supposed to speed up the healing process. He hated every second of having to stay in the bed for so long. While Sasuke was stuck in bed, Naruto just trained with thenzanbatō or played with Inari, even teaching him to use chakra.

Haku managed to get on Sakura's good side after the first day. He shared his medical knowledge with her and taught her how to throw senbon accurately. He even gave her a few of his, seeing as she liked to use them in conjunction with kunai and shuriken. After the fight on the bridge he also kept the clothes that he used to fight.

* * *

After a few more days of this, they finally set out for Konoha. Sasuke, through his stubborn Uchiha pride, insisted that he could make the trip, even if Haku suggested more bed-rest. They all congregated on the bridge, Tazuna was on a small pedestal bidding them farewell on behalf of the whole village. "Thank you, for all you have done for us! We will welcome any of you or your fellow ninja with open arms here in the land of waves from this day on. We wish you a safe journey on your way back."

Inari walked up to Naruto. "Will you come back and visit us, Nii-san?"

Naruto looked down at Inari with a bemused look. "Sure, Squirt! I'll be back to visit sometime soon, believe it, cause it's a promise. I never go back on my promises, that's part of my nindo, my ninja way. See ya 'round Squirt!" He replied, ruffling Inari's hair. He had heard from Tazuna and Tsunami how Inari had gone all around the village gathering up the villagers. He was proud of the Squirt for finally getting up and getting things done.

Inari started sniffling as tears came to the corners of his eyes, Naruto spotted the tears as Inari was trying to hold them back. "Damn it! I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore!" He cried, rubbing away the tears with his forearms.

"Don't worry Inari, it's okay to cry at times like these." Naruto comforted him, small tears forming in his own eyes.

"Who says I want to cry!? Besides if it's alright why don't you do it?" Inari argued back.

"Fine, see I'm crying." Naruto said as a few tears fell. "It's okay to show tears to your friends and family Inari. Just don't cry in front of your enemies." Naruto said falling in step with the rest of the team and Haku. As he turned with the rest of them to leave Inari also let a few tears fall.

Once the group had been walking for a few minutes one of the villager's spoke up. "Wait a second we forgot to tell them the name of the bridge!"

"It's okay, they'll find out when they come back. After all they'll have to use 'The Amazing Bridge That Tazuna Built' if they want to-" Tazuna was smacked over his head by Tsunami.

"Tou-san! We already agreed on what we would call the bridge and that's not it!" Tsunami scolded him.

Tazuna sighed deeply. "Fine, they'll have to use 'The Great Naruto Bridge' if they want to come visit us. Maybe it will bring us luck in the future." He said as they watched the group of ninja near the other side of the bridge.

* * *

Team 7 plus Haku managed to get back to Konoha in a couple of days thanks to taking to the trees. They had some trouble with the guards on duty because of Haku but they got him through eventually. They went straight to the Hokage's office to sort out Haku's citizenship to Konoha.

Naruto kicked his way through to the Hokage's office. "Hey Jii-san! Mission successful! We kept Tazuna-san safe."

Sarutobi looked up from the paperwork he was doing, he was wearing his usual Hokage robes. "Oh, Naruto-kun. You know the mission report is supposed to be a little more specific than that. Kakashi, why don't you give the report, so Naruto-kun here finds out how it's done."

Kakashi stepped up and relayed almost everything that happened, keeping some of the things Naruto had asked for, to be kept a secret from his teammates. Namely how Naruto had stolen Zabuza's zanbatō, caught Zabuza for Kakashi to finish him off, how he mowed down the thugs with some help from Zabuza and how he finished Zabuza off with the zanbatō.

When he finished the report Sarutobi spoke up. "Considering the dangers of this mission I will raise it to A-rank. Therefore team 7 will be paid as such, it will also be added to your mission history. You are all dismissed." He said as he finished handing out the mission paychecks to team 7.

"Actually Hokage-sama, I wish to talk to you about Haku and Naruto here. Sasuke, Sakura you can go home or wait outside for Naruto, either way this concerns a personal matter." Sakura and Sasuke just bowed quickly to the Hokage as they left.

"Alright what is this about, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked, netting his fingers as he leaned his elbows on his desk. Staring intently at the three of them.

"Actually, Jii-san, I think I should take over here. I was hoping you would allow Haku here to become a ninja of Konoha. He has an awesome Kekkei Genkai and amazing skills, I would say that he's a chunin easily, maybe even a jounin." Naruto said in Kakashi's stead.

Sarutobi looked the ice user over. "Hmm, from what I heard in the report, you are now loyal to Naruto because of a last order from your sensei. I am not quite sure why he did this though, there was nothing in the report to suggest that he saw Naruto as a superior ninja." Sarutobi mused as he looked between the three. "Unless of course something else happened that you haven't told me about."

"Yeah, about that I guess I should tell you something Jii-san. I've been getting some extra training from a friend ever since I entered the academy. Give me a second." Naruto sped through some hand-seals, when he was done a shock-wave of chakra erupted from his body and covered the walls, giving off a dull blue glow. "There, Jii-san, before I go any further, can you make whatever I tell you now an S-class secret. I wish for only the people in this room to know what I'm about to say, Haku, you have a right to know since you've seen some of my abilities and I even used some of them against you. Also I wish for only myself and Jii-san to be able to tell anyone else what I'm about to say."

"Hmm, a sound-proofing jutsu. What you're about to tell me must be serious and to make it an S-class secret... Very well, I will do as you asked, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi replied looking at the blue barrier that was covering the inside of the room.

"Thanks Jii-san. Now hold on to your hat, this is gonna be a doozie." Naruto exclaimed as he started his explanation. He went over his first encounter with Kyuubi, all the exercises Kyuubi told him to do with the weights, training until he bled or collapsed. Being shown the compound, learning about who his parents were, Kyuubi training him via blood clone. Learning all the different jutsu, awakening his Kekkei Genkai, both of them, and how he held back in the academy.

By the end of the explanation, Sarutobi looked like he had his limited edition of Icha Icha Paradise stolen. "Naruto why did you not tell me this earlier? I could have offered to help. I could have made it so you were on another team so it would be better balanced."

"That's just it Jii-san. I didn't want any kind of special treatment from you. I mean, come on, I had a full family vault of jutsu, scrolls and scrolls of seals and all the books I needed to learn history and stuff like that. Not to mention an eons old demon that could help me learn it all. I have to say though, you're taking this better than I hoped." Naruto exclaimed.

"Of course, I must respect the privacy of my ninja. I already knew of Kyuubi's state of mind when he attacked the village. I thought it would only be a matter of time before he contacted you. When you told me you knew about him, I thought it was because someone had told you, I never thought he had come forward so early. You didn't really have to tell me all this, although if you had then you would be chunin by now." Sarutobi explained.

"Exactly, I wanted to rise through the ranks the same as everyone else. I guess I better tell you how this fits in with the mission." Naruto then went on to fill the gaps of the mission report. He covered everything that Sasuke and Sakura didn't know about and one or two things Kakashi didn't know about. "This is why I believe Zabuza passed the zanbatō and Haku on to me. Am I right Haku?"

Haku, coming out of the daze he was in hearing about all the harsh training Naruto had gone through and how this boy held back a demon, answered. "Yes, I believe that would be an accurate assumption. Zabuza has never seen another nin as his equal since Naruto-sama."

"Haku, I thought I told you to cut it out with that sama stuff. I'm your friend remember?" Naruto told the ice user.

"Forgive me Naruto-sama but I am now your servant from the last order Zabuza-sama gave me. This means I am to act as such in front of high ranking ninja." Haku replied.

_'Wait a second, does this mean he doesn't consider me a high ranking ninja!?'_ Kakashi thought as he was reading his little book, a large bead of sweat forming on his head.

"I suppose this proves that you are loyal to Naruto in more than one way then, Haku. Very well, I will instate you as a chunin and I shall give you an apartment, until you want to move into somewhere of your own choosing. Although I'm not sure how to fill out your ninja licence. You have not given me a family name." Sarutobi said as he pulled out a chunin vest and a Konoha hitai-ite, handing them to Haku.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama." Haku thanked the Hokage. "I would like my family name to be Momochi in honor of my late sensei. I would also like to be assigned to Naruto's team."

Naruto sighed deeply. "Haku, you can't be on our team. Jii-san will put you on a team with someone else, you'll be fine. You can also make more friends this way."

"Naruto-kun is correct. I will be placing you on a team tomorrow, once I find adequate team members that will be in balance with your abilities." Sarutobi confirmed.

Haku looked at Naruto's grin and believed what he said. "Very well Naruto-sama. I will do as Hokage-sama orders."

"Glad to hear it. From now on, you answer to him and whoever is your team-leader or jounin sensei." Haku just nodded. "Good. Jii-san, I trust you won't be telling the council about my two Kekkei Genkai. I have no interest in starting a clan, not yet anyway." Grinning at the last part. "I also want to wait until I'm Hokage or respected in the village to announce that I am the Yondaime's son. I want to earn the respect of this village through hard work, not my heritage." Naruto finished, a serious look on his face.

"Don't worry, as I said this is an S-class secret. I will only tell another person about this if it concerns them or the safety of the village." Sarutobi replied with his own grin. "Kakashi, Haku-kun, you are both dismissed, I wish to discuss something with Naruto-kun in private."

"Before I go Hokage-sama. I wish to inform you that Zabuza not only bestowed his sword and myself to Naruto-sama, he also gave him a title, in a way. Before they attacked the thugs on the bridge, Zabuza-sama called Naruto a demon from the leaf." Haku informed him.

Kakashi stepped up. "It's true, the residents of wave even used 'Demon of the Leaf' as a nickname for him. They were very grateful to our team so I doubt it was meant as an insult."

"Very well, with these facts I am obliged to list 'Demon of the Leaf' as one of Naruto's aliases in his ninja profile. You may leave now." The Hokage said as he went to pull out Naruto's file. Naruto just stood there, surprised that it would actually be an official alias for him. Haku and Kakashi just bowed to the Hokage before they headed for the door.

"Hey guys, when you leave, tell Teme to mind his own business." Naruto requested before they left, only opening the door briefly so as not to show the sound-proofing jutsu.

Sure enough, just outside the door was Sasuke leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for them to come out. Sakura had apparently gone home. "Naruto tells you to mind your own business Sasuke-san." Haku informed the Uchiha.

_'What the!? How did the Dobe know I was out here!? Wait, that Haku guy is probably just bluffing, trying to make his new master seem stronger than he really is.' _Sasuke thought, eyes narrowing at the ice user. "I was just waiting for Kakashi-sensei so he could carry on training me." Sasuke said coolly.

"Sasuke, I already told you to go home or wait outside if you wanted to talk to Naruto. I'm not training you right after we get back from a mission. Now go home and get some rest." Kakashi told the Uchiha from behind his little book.

* * *

Back inside the office Sarutobi waited a second before going on. "Alright, the reason I asked you to stay behind is so I can inform you of a law I passed concerning you and any of your family members. I passed it shortly after you were born and Kyuubi sealed within you." He opened a drawer and pulled out a large file. "This file contains all the laws of the village. The law concerning you is under amendment 3472, look for your self." Sarutobi explained as he pushed the file to Naruto.

Naruto immediately started going through the file skipping through everything until he came close to the amendment. When he finally came to the amendment, he was slightly surprised. "I understand the first three parts but isn't the fourth part a little excessive?" He asked not bringing his eyes from the page. The law stated as follows;

Amendment 3472:

A: No one may speak of Uzumaki Naruto's lineage or Jinchuuriki status under penalty of high treason.

B: Uzumaki Naruto is entitled the full rights of a noble clan heir, including additional guard by supplemental Konoha shinobi and full financial coverage until such time as he is of sufficient shinobi rank (Chuunin) and claims his inheritance, respectively.

C: Only Uzumaki Naruto and the acting Hokage may divulge his statuses to those ignorant of them without legal repercussions.

D: Uzumaki Naruto has full right to defend himself or any relation to him by any means he deem fit against any he deem a significant immediate threat.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, it's just a precaution. A lot of people were killed on the night Kyuubi attacked. I hope the village will have accepted you by the time you have someone that close to you but I added that part just in case. I know a lot of villagers still don't like you and I'm sorry for what I allowed to happen when you were younger. I don't want that to happen to you any more. If anyone attacks you in the village from now on, I won't be angry with you if you take advantage of this law to defend yourself. To be honest, I'm surprised you haven't already turned on the whole village, with the way they have treated you." Sarutobi lowered his head in shame.

"Don't worry Jii-san. I've already told myself, I'm not going to turn on the village. They just have a lot of hate and they haven't got anything to channel it to. Besides, what kind of hero would I be if I attacked the village I'm a hero to? That's how Dad wanted me to be seen and that's how I'm going to be seen, even if I have to die trying." Naruto replied, the resolve strong in his voice and a warm smile on his face.

The Hokage looked back at Naruto, awe, respect and happiness adorning his face. "I'm very glad to hear those words, Naruto-kun. Your father would be proud of you."

"Thanks Ojii-san." Naruto replied a smile on his face. "Well if that's all, Jii-san." Naruto closed the file and pushed it back to the Hokage. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow for new missions." Naruto brought his hands up and released the sound-proofing jutsu. That done he turned and headed for the door.

"Naruto-kun, how would you like one or two more C-ranks?" The Hokage asked as Naruto opened the door.

Naruto looked over his shoulder. "That would be awesome, Jii-san!" A grin forming on his face.

"Excellent, I have a few but your going to have to do a couple more D-ranks before them." The Hokage stated lighting his pipe.

"Fair enough." Naruto replied as he walked all the way out and closed the door.

_'You will be a great Hokage, Naruto, I can tell.' _Sarutobi thought as he turned his chair to face the village.

* * *

The rest of the day went by as any other, when Naruto came out of the tower his fan-girls caught up to him. He went for ramen with them as he usually did and then headed for the compound. He unsealed Kyuubi and set out to sort out a couple of problems.

"Kyu-sensei, would it be possible to put the weight seal that's on my back, on my vest?" Naruto asked Kyuubi.

"**I suppose so, but why would you want to do that?" **Kyuubi asked, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Well, it's just, back in wave it took really long to lower the seal affecting my whole body by just a fifth. I was thinking it may be a good idea to halve the seal on my back and put the seal on my vest instead. That way I could easily drop the weight off my body and if things get really tough I can still lower the seal on my back." Naruto explained, voicing his concerns.

"**That sounds good but placing the seal on your vest would only work on specific muscles. I would prefer it if you were to keep using just the seal on your back, that way your whole body would benefit. I do see the problem with lowering the seal though." **Kyuubi explained.

Naruto lowered his head slightly. "I know only some of my muscles would be affected with my vest, namely my lower body and some of my torso. I could put some parchment seals around my wrists to work on my arms. That would sort that out and my whole body would still be affected by the seal on my back just not as much."

"**Very well. I guess those compromises will do. After all, every second counts in a shinobi battle. Better to lose a small amount of training on some of the body and shave seconds off getting an advantage than to die because the seals took too long being lowered." **Kyuubi replied nodding his head.

Hearing this Naruto took off to the library. He found the weight seal used on his back and copied it and placed it on the vest quickly. He took the ink off the desk and went over the symbols carefully seeing as he had plenty of time before the seal would fade. When he was done, he went to work on the seal on his back, estimating when he lost half the weight. When he finally got to where he thought was half way, he felt awesome. It felt like he didn't weigh anything, he tried jumping without chakra and almost knocked himself out when he hit the ceiling. He went on to test his speed and almost crashed when he tried to get around the tight corners of the compound.

He finally stopped goofing off when Kyuubi caught him and threatened him with a heavy spar. Needless to say, he went back to the library and rose the seal level on the vest until it felt heavy on him, he also rose the level of the seal affecting his whole body slightly, just for good measure. He quickly found a smaller weight seal to put on some pieces of parchment and sorted them out. The weight seal he found for the parchment only went up in increments of 50kg and could only go up to a maximum level of 100 but he decided that would be enough for now. He stuck them on underneath the gauntlets and activated the seals on them. They felt good.

He finished off the night by running and punching until he collapsed and Kyuubi took him to the bed in the compound.

* * *

The next few weeks went by fast. After the first couple of days they held Zabuza's funeral. Only Naruto and Haku actually attended the burial. Naruto started training with more of Kyuubi's purified chakra and found he would feel less exhausted after each training session. Team 7 did another escort mission that was less eventful than the wave one. They had to escort a wine dealer back to his home town while also carrying his wine. Naruto's storage scroll made this a lot more easy, he now carried three scrolls which left a single empty slot for him. The third scroll he carried was a blank one so he could store whatever he may need in it. Of course this meant he had to change it every now and then when there was no space left for new seals. Nothing note worthy happened, although Naruto swore he saw some strange snake watching them one night. The mission was over in four days.

In the middle of the third week after getting back from wave, Naruto finally finished a seal that would be able to store Kyuubi's purified chakra. It took a full two weeks of studying the seal on his stomach with Kaiseki Boushi to understand all the symbols and a further few days to make the seal. The seal was the most complicated one Naruto had ever created, it was composed of several layers of symbols all working together.

It wasn't as complex as the one on his stomach because it only had to store a fraction of Kyuubi's youki. Also, it only had to store youki, not a conscious being like the one on his stomach, meaning the seal was smaller. The seal was small enough even, to fit on Naruto's arm and that is where it was placed along with three other copies, the trail of seals started on top of his left shoulder and finished just after his elbow. Before placing the seal Kyuubi obviously insisted that they test it, to see how much youki it could keep. Turned out it could keep a little over one tail's worth of youki, in Kyuubi's opinion. That was good because so far Naruto could handle a tail's worth youki without ill effects. Anymore than that and the seal would release all the chakra in a violent explosion, they found that out the hard way. They filled all four seals within four hours. There was a problem with having to seal youki in a small seal though, the seal wouldn't fade meaning the seals were there for all the world to see.

This was bad because as with any storage seal it stated in the middle of the clear spot what was stored, in this case it just stated 'Energy'. The only way Naruto could find of countering this was to cover his whole arm in bandages instead of just the knuckles and some of his forearm. He also covered the spot where the seal containing Kyuubi was, because anytime he used the youki the seal would appear. When he first showed up wearing all his bandages, his fan-girls thought he had been attacked and wanted to 'comfort' him. A lot of them said he looked good with them, saying he looked intimidating. Sakura of course went frantic, thinking he'd hurt himself while he'd been practicing a jutsu. She backed down when he told her it was just to help keep a new technique a secret. Kyuubi, of course, forbade him from unsealing anymore than one of the seals at a time. Warning him of the dangers that may come from trying to use that much youki if his body wasn't ready for it.

All in all it was a fairly interesting few weeks.

* * *

In a room, somewhere in the Hokage tower, a large group of jounins and some chunins had gathered. The Hokage was also present, sitting behind a small desk. "I have gathered all of you here today to inform you of the chunin exams. They will be taking place in a week or so and I need to know who wants to nominate their genin teams." Sarutobi announced to all the present jounin.

Kakashi stepped forward his nose in his orange book. "I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate my genin team. Team 7 consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto." The room erupted in whispers at the copy nins action.

Asuma then walked up. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, nominate my genin team. Team 10 consists of Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji." There were more whispers about the room.

Kurenai finally walked up. "I, Yuuhi Kurenai, nominate my genin team. Team 8 consists of Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino." The whole room was almost in an uproar now. Nine rookie genin taking the chunin exam was unheard of.

Iruka made his way to the front of the crowd. "Hokage-sama, please do not allow this. I taught all those genin, I know their skill levels. None of them are ready to take this exam." He yelled. _'Naruto, maybe but I won't say that out loud.'_

"You underestimate your students Iruka." Kakashi stated, his nose still in his book.

"If you doubt them, you may test them by all means. Only if they pass your test will I allow them to take the chunin exams." The Hokage announced to the chunin.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama." Iruka said as he bowed to the Hokage.

"Now, who else wants to nominate their genin squads?" He asked the other jounin. Several other genin teams were nominated.

* * *

Later on that night Iruka walked into the Hokage's office. "Hokage-sama, I wish to talk to you about my tests. I don't believe that Uzumaki Naruto needs to be tested but his team does. I would prefer to give them a field test. I wish for them to be given a C-rank that will more than likely end up in them fighting." Iruka requested.

"I see, I understand your reasoning with Naruto-kun. I believe he has told you about his holding back?" The Hokage stated more than asked. "I have a C-rank mission which involves apprehending some trouble-makers in a village not far from here. Well within the boundaries of fire country, the mission itself was actually requested by the fire Daimyo. I will allow them to take it, it should last no longer than 4 days meaning they will have some time before the start of the chunin exams. What about testing their other skills as well as their fighting?"

"I will be testing their ability in detecting genjutsu tonight. I will also test their ninjutsu tonight but that's dependant on wether they use any." Iruka replied.

"Very well. You can tell me tomorrow, after I send them on their mission, if they are ready or not. Will you be testing the other genin teams like this as well?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes, I will. I don't need to test the other teams teamwork but I will be testing them on their genjutsu detecting abilities, taijutsu and ninjutsu. If that is all you wish to know, I will be going to perform my tests now." Iruka replied. After the Hokage dismissed him, he bowed as he exited the room.

* * *

That night was rough on Iruka. Not only had every genin passed his test but he had been attacked and very nearly beaten on a few occasions. He tried performing the test on Naruto, just to be sure, but Naruto realized it was him before he could do anything.

* * *

"So, what are we doing today Jii-san? Weeding, picking up trash or walking more dogs?" Naruto asked in a bored tone, thinking back to the last dog walking mission.

_Flashback_

Sasuke and Sakura had a couple of small dogs each, while Naruto had one, big dog. At first he had trouble keeping the dog from walking him but he brought the dog in line when he became serious and deactivated the cushion seals on his feet. He almost sunk into the ground with how much he weighed with his weight seal and clothing now. The dog had a hard time from then on.

_Flashback end_

"Actually, Naruto-kun, I have a different mission for team 7 today. You must go to the Mantis village, ten miles north of here and apprehend some men that have been causing some trouble. They have been intimidating the villagers, stealing some of their food and even attacked a few. You are to subdue them, with force if necessary, and hand them over to the Land of Fire's law enforcement patrols. They will take care of them from there. It is a C-rank, before you ask." The Hokage explained, puffing away on his pipe.

Naruto looked at Sarutobi, a twinkle in his eye. "Awesome! We'll sort those guys out, dattebayo!" He yelled punching a fist in the air.

_'Naruto, your handsome and all but you're way too annoying when your like this.' _Sakura thought, a large bead of sweat forming on the back of her head.

_**'CHA! He'd be perfect if he wasn't so loud all the time.' **_Her inner persona piped up.

Kakashi informed them to gear up for the trip and meet him at the north gate in a couple of hours. They, of course, knew better and took their time, knowing to take three hours instead.

* * *

Naruto did what he planned to do from now on for missions outside the village. He packed everything he needed into the third scroll he carried and made sure to bring the scroll containing the three swords. He'd been practicing with the three intensely, the zanbatō more than the others, since the size made it slightly difficult to wield.

They met up at the gate and set out. It took them the rest of the day to make it to the Mantis village. Going by trees was much faster and the absence of a civilian made it that much easier. They arrived under cover of night fall so the thugs wouldn't run away and set up in another village. They met up with the village head and collected information on the perpetrators. They found out where the thugs stayed when not making trouble and where they usually attacked or threatened.

Sakura was slightly alarmed to hear that all of the thugs carried dangerous weapons. After a few seconds of thought though, she knew she'd be fine, after all Naruto-senpai had taught her how to disarm an enemy. Naruto, on the other hand, was very interested to learn what kind of weapons they carried. When the village head told him that a few carried swords he was cheering on the inside. _'New swords to add to my collection! Alright, I'll make sure to go after those guys.' _Finally, Sasuke just hoped he wouldn't have to come to Sakura's rescue again, like he did in wave. Even if she was the one that had originally saved him.

"Alright, we'll rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll patrol the rooftops and wait for the group to show up. Naruto, I want you to use your clones to take down the weaker members of the group. Once they are out of the way, we will join the fight. Try not to kill any of them unless absolutely necessary, we're only supposed to apprehend them, after all. Finally, be careful, they may not be ninja but even civilians can be dangerous, especially when weapons are involved." Kakashi informed the three. He received a firm 'Hai' from the three and they were escorted to their rooms.

* * *

Team 7 was well rested, not all of them wanted to admit it but a couple of them had been tired after their trip. That was irrelevant now though, as Kakashi was hiding in a tree reading his book. Sasuke was lying,belly down, resting his head on his crossed arms, on a rooftop, looking out for the group with a look of boredom. Sakura had taken to hiding in plain sight, she had removed her utility pouches, kunai holsters, weights and her hitai-ite. She had given them to Naruto for him to keep in a storage scroll, Naruto in turn gave her the kunai holsters that he wore under his jacket so she would have some hidden weapons if she needed them.

Naruto, unlike the other three, didn't care much for staying in the village to wait for the gang. So, he created some earth clones that would take on the weaker members of the group, when they showed up, the clones hid themselves through out the village using the Kakuremino no Jutsu. He also made a single shadow clone that would disperse itself when the gang showed up so he would know when he was needed. While the clones were in the village, he decided to find a secluded spot to train with the zanbatō.

He found the perfect place, it was a small clearing in the woods near the village. He'd been practicing for the better part of an hour so far, Kyuubi giving him instruction in his head through out the whole session. He was wielding the zanbatō with just his hands. After all, he wouldn't always be using the fox tails when fighting. Thanks to the training he had done so far, he could wield the sword quite easily, even with the parchment weights around his wrists. He could even handle the sword with just one hand now if he had to.

He thought he might need the sword in this fight. Not only would it be very intimidating and hopefully resolve the fight without killing but because it was so large he could easily use the large flat side of the blade to knock enemies around without killing them. He was still having problems carrying the sword outside the scroll though, most of the time he just settled for leaning it on his shoulders. After all the training, he did just that and sat down against a tree. _'I can't train myself to exhaustion today, I need to be ready to fight.' _He thought to himself as he took out a canteen and drank from it.

Back in the village, Sakura had just sat down outside a tea house for a rest from all the walking. To be honest though, she didn't need it, since taking her weights off she felt like she could have done the trip back to Konoha in half the time they had taken to get here. Since coming back from wave, Naruto had increased her weights again and had given her a couple more med-jutsu to work with. The first one she had learned from him was only really used for puncture wounds and small cuts but these new ones were much stronger, if a bit of a drain on her chakra.

Sasuke was still in the same position as was Kakashi, they were both thinking the same thing. _'Looks like today is going to be quiet.' _Little did they now that at that moment, some of Naruto's earth clones were engaging the enemy, when the shadow clone came across the small battle royal he sent up a kunai with an explosive note to alert the others and dispersed himself soon after.

All three of them had seen the explosion in the air and all three had arrived to see the last couple of Naruto's earth clones taking on a group of ten conscious people with weapons while there were more, scattered, unconscious and unarmed, on the ground. The group dispatched the last couple of clones and turned to Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura had a few senbon out, ready to hit the pressure points to knock out some of the thugs. Sasuke had his sharingan blazing, while he slid into a ready stance. Kakashi just kept reading his book.

"Futeki, it looks like we have more trouble and these ones look real and the girl looks like she could be fun." One of the men announced with a sadistic grin.

A large, muscled man, turned his head to look at the three that had just shown up. He was wearing a green sleeveless shirt, some gray pants, a pair of boots and was wielding what appeared to be a pair of broad swords. He broke into his own grin as he looked them over. "You're right Gouka, she does look fun. Guys, let's get rid of the other two quickly and then have some fun with her." The one known as Futeki ordered the rest. He raised his two swords up as the other men brought up their own weapons, which consisted of some strange looking weapons, one of which appeared to be a nunchaku but instead of two bars there were three connected to a single central ring.

Sasuke moved slightly closer to Sakura at their looks. "They don't seem like much, you two can take them on. If you get into trouble then I'll step in but otherwise they're yours, I'm sure Naruto is on his way so leave some for him. And remember, try not to kill them." Kakashi said as he looked at the group from behind his book. A moment later he shimmered out of sight.

"Hn! What are you guys waiting for? An invitation?" Sasuke taunted them. The group charged at his taunt, one fell straight away thanks to a senbon in the neck. Sakura had tried taking down three guys with her senbon but the other two had managed to block them. She moved about dodging their blows for the most part, she kept knicking and cutting them when she could.

Sasuke was a flurry, dodging attacks while performing his own. Using the sharingan made it all too easy for the Uchiha. The problem was he got too cocky and forgot to watch his back. Futeki, the one that appeared to be the leader, had come up behind him with a sword raised, ready to take the Uchiha's head clean off.

* * *

Evil Cliffhanger no Jutsu! Actually it's not all that evil is it? Oh well, what will happen next, I wonder? Find out in the next exciting installment of The Simp-... I mean The Tenant, The Sensei.


	15. The Choice

I'd like to thank 'call015' for the idea concerning Futeki in this part.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ON TO THE FANFICTION!

* * *

Chapter 15 – The Choice

* * *

**Last time:**

Sasuke was a flurry, dodging attacks while performing his own. Using the sharingan made it all too easy for the Uchiha. The problem was he got too cocky and forgot to watch his back. Futeki, the one that appeared to be the leader, had come up behind him with a sword raised, ready to take the Uchiha's head clean off.

**This Chapter:**

Time seemed to slow down as Futeki's sword was rushing towards Sasuke's neck. Sakura looked over from the thug she had just knocked out. _'Now or never.' _She thought as she started dashing toward him. There was a loud 'CLANG!'.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder when he felt the presences behind him. What he saw shocked him slightly, there was the supposed leader of the thugs, Futeki, and just a few millimeters from his neck was the man's sword. The only thing keeping it at bay was a kunai held by Sakura, she was standing with her back to Sasuke but her head was turned so she was facing the swords blade. Sasuke looked over to her face, there was a fire in her eyes, a resolve. She would save him. Futeki, on the other hand, was looking at her with anger in his eyes. "You're going to regret that!" Futeki shouted as he brought his other sword forward, trying to stab her. Sakura, seeing the sword going for her gut, froze. She couldn't block it, she was doing everything she could to keep the sword from going through Sasuke's neck. She did the only thing that came to mind, she closed her eyes and waited for the blade to skewer her.

There was no squelching sound of metal hitting flesh as Sakura had expected. Instead there was a dull thud of something blunt hitting flesh. Sakura felt the pressure on her kunai disappear. She opened her eyes to see what had happened. There, standing a few of feet from her was Naruto, zanbatō in hand, out-streched to his right away from her. Futeki was a few yards away sprawled on the ground. "Sakura-chan, never close your eyes like that again. You gave up before you tried, I expect a hundred laps with your weights on when we get back to Konoha for that." Naruto stated calmly as he swung the zanbatō again, knocking another thug back. "Sasuke you forgot an important rule when outnumbered, always watch your back." Naruto stated calmly again as he struck two thugs this time. Both landed face down unmoving. Sasuke and Sakura still hadn't moved, they were watching Naruto. "What are you waiting for? GET BACK TO THE FIGHT!" He yelled at the two, shocking them from their state of shock. Both went right back to work.

The thugs were losing this fight, Futeki knew it and Naruto knew it. There were only six of them left... five now after Sakura hit another with her senbon... four, Sasuke had just knocked another out with an axe kick. Most of this wasn't registering with Futeki at the moment though. He was staring at the sword Naruto was wielding. He recognized it, it was the sword of Zabuza Momochi, one of the seven swordsmen from the mist. He knew this because he had tried to be one of those swords men, to be recognized as one of the greatest swordsmen used to be his dream. That dream however, died when he was beaten by Zabuza, who hadn't even drawn his sword during the fight. _'How did this brat get the sword!?' _He thought as his anger flared and with it came some killing intent.

"What can I do for you?" Naruto asked sarcastically to Futeki, who had just stood up and was directing as much killing intent as possible toward the blonde. Naruto eyed the two broadswords the man was holding. From their design, he could tell they had been made to be used as a pair. The man was only wearing one scabbard and it looked like it could house the two swords very easily. The guards and hilts on both swords only confirmed this since they both had a flat side, the flat side made it so they could both be held side by side in the scabbard. "Those are some nice looking swords. I'll be happy to relieve you of them when this is over." Naruto announced as he brought the zanbatō out in front of him.

"Don't be so cocky, kid! I don't know how you got Zabuza's Kubikiri Hōchō but you're not getting my swords!" Futeki said, the anger evident in his voice.

Naruto glanced around quickly taking in the fight around him. He noticed that Sasuke was fending off a couple of men with his kunai, both men were attacking with some sort of spears. "Decapitating Knife? So that's what this sword's called, I always meant to ask Haku about it's name." Naruto glanced around quickly again, he saw Sakura leading the final thug away, he was trying to slash her with some sort of multi bladed weapon. "Since I forgot to ask Zabuza before I finished him off!" Naruto replied, breaking into a sadistic grin he hoped would intimidate the man, alas it didn't work.

"Bull! I went toe to toe with Zabuza for the title as one of the seven swordsmen of the mist. He beat me without even drawing his sword! How did a Gaki like you beat him!?" Futeki shouted at the blonde.

_'Kyu-sensei, could you send me enough youki to activate the fox eyes, please?' _Naruto asked Kyuubi through the mental link. "I'll tell you how." Naruto announced, lowering his head slightly so his face was blocked by shadows and his hair.

_**'On it's way, Kit' **_Kyuubi announced.

Naruto felt the youki, he directed it straight to his eyes. His eyes changed as did some of his features. "Unlike him... I'm a real demon!" Naruto announced just loud enough, snapping his head back up to show of his new demonic features, his deepened whiskers and his elongated canines. He saw the fear on Futeki's face, even if it was fleeting.

"Nice try kid, you almost had me with that genjutsu." Futeki said as he closed his eyes, calming his nerves. Naruto saw the opening and made his move. He dashed forward raising the zanbatō, ready to strike with the flat edge. "I really thought you were a-" Futeki didn't get to finish the sentence though as the flat edge of the zanbatō collided with the side of his head. He had opened his eyes in time to see Naruto smirking at him, just before he lost consciousness from the blunt trauma.

Naruto looked down at the unconscious swordsman. "I thought you of all people would know not to close their eyes during a fight." Naruto said, he sighed. "And here I was hoping for a good sword fight to test my skills, oh well back to the matter at hand." He said as he felt the youki leave him and his features returned to normal.

Sakura downed her opponent as soon as she had disarmed him of his weapon. Landing a spectacular punch to his face followed by a roundhouse kick from the opposite leg. She looked around to see Naruto was finished with the leader and Sasuke was still fighting his opponents. "Sasuke! Stop playing around and take those guys out! I know you want to train your sharingan but not during a mission, please." Kakashi said as he appeared next to Sakura.

"Thought he was holding back. He still made a mistake earlier though." Naruto said as he walked over to the two, zanbatō over his shoulder.

Sasuke glanced over to the three. _'How could I let that guy almost get me? How did Sakura get that fast? How did Naruto get better than me? I've been training all this time to enact my revenge, how did they get past me!?' _Sasuke thought angrily as he looked back at his opponents. He decided to finish it now, he dodged a spear thrust and grabbed the handle. The next thing the owner of the spear knew, he had a sandal in his face and he was falling. His friend tried to use this to his advantage as slashed at Sasuke's head with his own spear. Sasuke saw it coming and blocked it with the spear from the other guy. He twirled his way down the shaft, bringing up his foot and planting a twirling kick to the man's face. As the man was recoiling from the hit, Sasuke brought up his other foot and planted another kick into the mans face knocking him back into a wall and knocking him out.

"Nice one Teme, you could have done that earlier though." Naruto mocked the Uchiha.

"Shut it, Dobe. I took them down didn't I? Besides, at least I got here on time." He said with a smirk as he walked over to the three, his sharingan fading.

"Actually I arrived just as you were taking them on. I even saw that Sakura-chan was the first to take any of them down. I also see you're having trouble keeping a hold of your sharingan." Naruto taunted.

Sasuke seethed and his sharingan flared back with a vengeance only to die back down. "I don't have to control my sharingan all the time, Dobe. I don't need it all the time, I have skill."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Where was that skill when you were about to lose your head to their leader? And if I'm not mistaken you were also saved by Sakura-chan."

"Naruto-senpai!" Sakura howled. _'Great, Sasuke probably hates me now.' _She thought to herself.

Sasuke was seething again now. "Alright, calm down you two. We need to tie these guys up and watch over them until the law enforcement of the fire Daimyo gets here tomorrow. Now, Naruto, I want you to make some clones and gather up their weapons and keep them in your storage scroll. Sasuke, Sakura, I want you two to tie them up with Sasuke's ninja wire. Get to it." Kakashi ordered the three in his laid back tone of voice.

Naruto just grinned as he created a few shadow clones and sent them out to gather the weapons and pile them up in a corner. He sat next to the steadily growing pile and took out his storage scroll, he kept his hand behind the scroll as he concentrated on a storage seal that could keep all the weapons. He did this to hide the glow that came with creating a seal like this. He placed his hand on an empty spot as soon as the seal was ready and the copy flared on the scroll he took out the small ink pot he carried with him and went over the glowing symbols.

Sasuke and Sakura were currently dragging the third thug they tied up over to the side. Things were going slowly and by the looks of things the area was completely devoid of the weapons that had littered the area earlier. Naruto's clones worked fast. "Hey, Dobe, get your ass over here and help move these guys!" Sasuke shouted to the sitting blonde.

"Hm? Oh, them, give me a sec and I'll create more clones to help." Naruto replied looking over the opened scroll. He put the scroll down to his side after another few brush strokes. He created a clone for every thug that had yet to be tied up and had them get to work. A few minutes later they had the whole gang tied up and lying in a row on the street floor. Naruto had stored all the weapons into his scroll. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei? What are we gonna do with all these weapons now?" Naruto asked the jounin.

"Hm? The weapons? Oh, right, keep 'em if you want or sell 'em, those guys aren't gonna need them and I doubt the law enforcers will want them." Kakashi replied as he kept reading his book.

Naruto's eyes glittered at this. Sasuke looked over at the blonde ninja. "What about us? We took some of them down, shouldn't we be allowed to take some of their weapons?" The Uchiha asked, his eyes lingering on the scroll Naruto now held open.

"If you want Teme, but I call dibs on all the swords." Naruto said quickly as he went to unseal the pile again. It took a moment but the weapons reappeared in a puff of smoke and a light 'pop'. Naruto proceeded to grab the two broadswords and their sheath and any other swords he could find. By the time he was finished sorting out all the swords, among them a few wakizashi that the weaker thugs had been holding, the broadswords from the leader. He also coveted a short double-edged sword with an elaborate guard that spread out to the sides and then bent upwards to be parallel with the blade, with a sharpened point a the tips, from one of the ten that the three of them fought and, finally, another form of broadsword, unlike the ones from the leader though the blade was serrated. The rest of the swords were pretty plain. He also took a few select daggers/knives he liked the look of and a set of tonfas that had a single edge blade hidden in the longer portion so they could also be used as swords if the bulky sheath was taken off. He left the pile open for Sasuke and Sakura to look through.

Sasuke looked through all the weapons. He didn't find anything of interest. Sakura just said, "No thanks, I'll be fine with with what I got. I don't think I'll be killing anyone for a long time anyway." Sakura said in a defeated voice, hanging her head.

Naruto had a feeling she would be like this. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. You would be a better medic anyway, with your awesome chakra control. You always came across as someone who would want heal rather than hurt." Naruto announced trying to cheer her up.

"Arigatou, Naruto-senpai." Sakura replied smiling lightly as she lifted her head back up.

"No problem. Now, unless you want a weapon, Kakashi," Naruto shouted to the jounin, to which he received a lazy 'Nope'. "I'm gonna seal the weapons again. I have a friend back in Konoha that might be interested in these weapons. Especially the weird weapons." Naruto announced as he gathered the weapons back into a pile and resealed them.

They kept watch on the thugs in turns. They didn't want to bother moving them around again, especially after most of them woke up. Whoever was watching them was always supported by a small group of Naruto's earth clones. When Sakura had the chance she reattached her holsters and put her weights back on. The weights, of course, got Sasuke very interested, when he first saw them in wave he didn't think much of them. He thought they couldn't make that much difference, now though he wanted some for himself.

* * *

The fire Daimyo's law enforcement arrived the next morning a little before dawn with a couple of large wagons. The inside of each wagon had been divided up into small cells to hold criminals. Each law enforcement worker wore light samurai armor and carried what appeared to be a spear, except it had three prongs at the end and a few pikes coming out of the shaft a short way from the tip. Naruto asked about them and found out they were designed to capture criminals. Apparently, all the worker had to do was place the end of the spear onto a criminals clothes, twist sharply and the criminal's clothes would be captured by the spikes.

Naruto tried to barter one of the workers into giving him one and eventually got him to part with a spare one for a few ryou and one or two of the weapons he had coveted from the gang. After that was done and the thugs were sealed in the wagons. The team of ninja headed back to Konoha, making good time since the wind was behind them.

* * *

When they arrived in Konoha, the sun had just set and if they were lucky, they would catch the Hokage to give their report before he turned in. They were lucky, as they arrived the Hokage put the last piece of paperwork for the day into the OUT bin. He looked up when team 7 entered via Naruto kicking the door open. "Hey Jii-san! We got done early!" Naruto called to the Hokage.

"Yes I can see that, a whole day early to be precise. Very well, Kakashi, give me the verbal report." Sarutobi said while stifling a yawn. Kakashi relayed the whole mission and by the end Sarutobi was happy with the outcome. "I'm glad to hear that the three of you could handle yourselves without your jounin-sensei. I am also very happy to hear of your teamwork, watching out for each other is what I expect from my ninja squads. It is what makes our village strong." The Hokage told team 7.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama." Sakura replied with a bow.

"Hn." Sasuke replied as a thanks.

"Thanks, Jii-san! We do our best." Naruto replied with gusto.

"You're welcome. Now, you three are dismissed, there is something I need to talk to Kakashi about. You are to meet him again tomorrow at your usual meeting place." Sarutobi told the three genin. They promptly bowed and left. "Well, Iruka, did they pass the test?" Sarutobi asked out loud.

Iruka appeared outside the window, behind the Hokage. "Yes, I'm happy with their teamwork. You can tell them about the chunin exams tomorrow Kakashi-san. Although, outside of fighting, Sasuke still seems pretty distant." Iruka replied.

"Yeah, he's an excellent fighter but he has to learn to get along with his teammates better. He and Naruto are almost always fighting but I have a feeling they regard each other as friends. If not friends then rivals at least." Kakashi said from behind his book.

Iruka had a look of concern on his face. After a look from the Hokage he voiced his concern. "Maybe, but I'm still worried about Sasuke's arrogance. If Sakura and then Naruto hadn't been there to help him we would have lost a potentially good ninja."

"Don't worry, Naruto won't let anything happen to his teammates. He would give his life for his friends or for this village, he has become the hero that the Yondaime wanted him to be seen as. Hopefully, the villagers will see this in time and accept him." Sarutobi informed Iruka, taking a small drag from his pipe.

"I hope so, Hokage-sama. After what they... we, have done to him, he deserves it." Iruka said as he lowered his head.

* * *

Naruto was in the compound testing out his new swords and looking over them. He was currently looking over the broadswords and their sheath which was a dark red/brown colour. "These broadswords are really well balanced, maybe I should keep them outside the scroll as my main weapons. What do you think Kyu-sensei?"

"**Well it would be good to have a weapon ready to draw, instead of having to open the scroll to get a weapon. You may want keep more than just the broadswords though, how about you also keep that wakizashi on your opposite hip of where you keep the broadswords and you could keep these two knives on your back underneath your vest? They seem to be a pair anyway." **Kyuubi suggested.

Naruto grinned. "You saw me looking at them huh?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I was hoping you would approve, there's just something about these knives I like." Naruto replied as he picked the pair up. The blades were a foot long, single edged, with a thick spine and was bent slightly halfway up the blade. What was also strange is that the blade went wider near the tip but still sharpened off to be used for stabbing. The sheaths for the two were black with a brass metal covering for the tips and clips at the openings to keep the knives secure. "It's a good thing I grabbed the sheaths, otherwise I wouldn't have any idea how to make one. The wakisahi, I just think it looks better than the others I got." Naruto said as he put the pair down after sheathing them.

He then picked up a wakizashi with a pearl coloured sheath and hilt wrap. He drew the blade, it looked to be perfect, he wondered why or rather how the thugs had a blade like this. _'Probably stole it from somewhere.'_ He looked over the guard, it was completely flat and a slight lavender colour, except for a pair of pearls on either side of the blade, the habaki was also the same slight lavender colour. "It's beautiful, I'll have to choose when to use it carefully." Naruto said as he replaced the blade and set it down. "Now that I've figured that out though, I'm still wondering why Iruka-sensei was outside Jii-san's window."

"**He probably wanted to talk to the Hokage." **Kyuubi suggested.

"Probably, guess it doesn't matter though. Now, how 'bout you teach me how to use these two." Naruto said excitedly as he drew the two broadswords.

Kyuubi sighed deeply. **"Fine, but create some shadow clones and work some jutsu while I'm teaching you. I am not going to train you all night and the shadow clones ****should**** help tire you out."**

Naruto proceeded to create a couple hundred clones and sent them off to perfect jutsus he knew. He and Kyuubi headed for the taijutsu training area as soon as Naruto finished sealing all the other swords, knives and daggers he kept with him. The broadswords and wakizashi he attached to his belt, while he attached the knives to the back of the straps that held the kunai holsters under his jacket.

* * *

The next day Naruto came up to Sasuke and Sakura standing around the bridge that they usually met Kakashi at. He was now carrying the weapons he had selected the night before, the broadswords on his right hip and the wakizashi on his left. "Hey guys, How long you been waiting?" He asked the two.

"Not long Naruto-kun. I got here a few minutes before you did." Sakura replied.

All Naruto got from Sasuke was a 'Hn'. "Well I haven't had breakfast yet, so I'm going to Ichiraku's quickly. I'll be back in about ten minutes, want me to get anything for you two?" Naruto asked before turning to walk away. They both gave a negative and he started walking away.

After a couple of steps though, he picked up a small rock and flicked it with his thumb toward some bushes. Right before the rock went into the bushes a box that had been decorated to look like a rock emerged slightly. The rock punched a hole in the front of the box and an audible 'OW!' was heard from inside. "Konohamaru, what have I told you about your stealth techniques? You still need to work on them and your camoflauge." Naruto shouted toward the box.

"So you saw through the disguise, Nii-san? You still didn't have to hit me with the rock though!" A voice sounded from inside the box. The box then exploded with three different colored smoke bombs accompanying it. Coughing was heard from inside the smoke. "I think we used too much gun powder guys." Came Konohamaru's voice, when the smoke cleared it revealed Konohamaru along with another boy in glasses and a girl with her hair done up into two ponytails.

The three looked up at Naruto suddenly and went through introducing themselves in an... eccentric way. The girl introduced herself as Moegi, apparently the sexiest kunoichi in preschool, the boy as Udon, who loved algebra and of course Konohamaru came last claiming to be the number one ninja in the village. By the end they introduced their group as the 'Konohamaru Ninja Squad'. At this point Naruto had very large bead of sweat on the back of his head and an eyebrow raised. "Okay... I gotta ask, what's up with those goggles you and your friends are wearing? They kinda look like mine." Naruto asked, bringing his hand up to the goggles around his neck.

"Yeah, you used to wear them around your head so we're copying you! Hey, cool swords, Nii-san!" Konohamaru replied , shouting almost, looking at the swords Naruto was carrying.

"Riiight... so how can I help you guys?" Naruto asked bringing his hands up to rest behind his head.

"Come on, Nii-san. You said you'd play ninja with us today!" Konohamaru almost pleaded.

"I did? Oh yeah! I did didn't I. I can't play right now though me and the team are waiting for our jonin-sensei." Naruto said gesturing to Sasuke and Sakura. "I could always treat you three to ramen, I was just on my way to get some." Naruto received a bout of cheers for his offer.

_'A ninja playing ninja, you're pathetic, Naruto.' _Sasuke thought looking at the blonde.

_'How sweet.' _Sakura thought with slight blush and a smile directed towards Natruto's back.

Konohamaru of course had to see this and assumed something was up. "Hey, Nii-san, why's that girl looking at you like that? Oh, wait I got it, she's your girlfriend isn't she, Nii-san." Konohamaru asked raising his pinky finger.

Naruto looked back to see Sakura blushing at the comment. "Sakura-chan? Nah, she's not my girlfriend. Whoever does get her as a girlfriend will be lucky though." Naruto told the small boy and his friends.

Konohamaru had to push his luck though. "I get it, you don't like her because of her huge forehead, huh?" Konohamaru whispered, unfortunately he still whispered it loud enough for Sakura to hear.

A cracking loud enough to reach the other side of Konoha was heard as Sakura cracked her knuckles. She looked almost as scary as Naruto when he uses Kyuubi's youki. Naruto just looked down at Konohamaru and in a calm voice said. "Konohamaru, you better start running if you wanna live."

"Why?" Konohamaru asked as he looked back at Sakura and immediately understood. He started running for his life less than half a second later.

It didn't seem to help much as Sakura was quick to catch up, going around the bend in the street, heading straight for the kid. Naruto, seeing the potential lethality of the situation decided to run after them. _'This can't end well.' _He thought to himself as he rounded the corner himself.

What he saw angered him slightly, there was some guy in black overalls and a hood with some kind of cat ears on them. He was also wearing some purple make up and something bandaged up on his back. Naruto also noticed a the hitai-ite showing just from under his hood. Sakura was standing a few feet from him. What got Naruto angry though was the fact that this guy was holding up Konohamaru by his scarf. Konohamaru let out a slight wail of pain. "What's the matter kid? Does that hurt." The guy asked Konohamaru in a mocking tone.

It was that question that sent Naruto over the edge. "Hey you, the freak in the cat suit and purple make-up." Naruto said as he put a hand on the hilt of the broadswords.

The guy looked up at Naruto. "What do you want runt?"

* * *

Kakashi was walking up to Iruka who was sitting behind a desk. "Hey there, I'm here to pick up some forms for team 7 so they can sign up for the chunin exams." He told Iruka.

Iruka of course already knew the reason and pulled the forms from behind the desk. "Did they really do as well as you say they did? Did they really take down those thugs without any help from you?" Iruka asked the gray haired jounin.

"Pretty much, I just thought up the basics of a plan and they took it from there. Naruto was a big part of it thanks to his clone jutsus. He used them to take down the majority of the thugs and the real team 7 just took down the rest." Explained Kakashi.

"So, Naruto's a real powerhouse, huh? You know I haven't seen him since the mission to wave, he must be training hard!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Yes, I suppose he is." Kakashi said in low voice seeing as he didn't really know how Naruto was training.

* * *

"What I want..." Naruto drew the swords slightly out of the scabbard and disappeared. "...is for you to put my friend down, unless you want to lose your head." Naruto finished, reappearing behind the guy holding a broadsword to his throat. Naruto was holding on to the bandaged package held on the guys back, Naruto's face was leaning forward so it was next to his.

_'How'd he do that? I didn't even see him coming or draw the sword completely.' _The guy thought, glancing side ways at Naruto, surprise evident in his face. "No problem, I was just playin'." The guy lowered Konohamaru gently to the ground. "See? No harm done." He said quickly, trying to get Naruto off his back, literally.

"What kind of trouble did you get into this time Kankuro?" A new voice sounded from behind the newly named Kankuro.

Naruto took the sword from Kankuro's throat, jumped off the package, somersaulted and twisted in midair while sheathing the sword and landed in front of Sakura, Udon, Moegi and Konohamaru, Konohamaru having run over to Sakura, Udon and Moegi having shown up to make sure their friend was okay.

Naruto looked to where the voice had come. He saw a kunoichi with her hair up in four ponytails, a hitai-ite around her neck. She was wearing a steel mesh shirt underneath a pink dress, with a small red sash around her waist. She also had some more steel mesh covering her right shin and left thigh, part of her dress had been hiked up just slightly to show the mesh. Behind her back was some sort of weapon, what exactly, Naruto didn't know.

"I'll ask again Kankuro, what, kind, of , trouble, did, you , get, into, this, time?" The girl asked again, emphasizing each word.

"It's nothing Temari, just making some friends." Kankuro replied to the newly named Temari.

Temari looked at the group in front of Kankuro and her eyes instantly fell on Naruto. _'Looks like I just found the local hottie. I knew Kankuro was good for something and I knew there was a reason I liked this village.' _She thought, a light blush adorning her features while she looked at Naruto's chest and the top of his abs through the mesh shirt. "I don't know why you insist on causing trouble. You know your just gonna pay for it later." She scolded Kankuro.

Sakura looked warily between the two. _'They're outsiders from somewhere but what are they doing here?'_

"Relax, I'm just gonna mess this guy up a bit for ruining my fun." Kankuro said as he took the package off his back.

"You're gonna use the crow for this!?" Temari asked in an alarmed voice.

Naruto looked away from the two in front of him and looked toward a tree a few feet away. "Sasuke, are you actually gonna do something from up there or are you just gonna watch? You better watch your back too cause it looks like someone just snuck up on you."

Everyone turned to look up to the tree Naruto was looking at. Sure enough, there was Sasuke sitting on a branch. _'Another local hottie, now I know I like this village.'_ Temari thought as she looked at Sasuke. On the other side of the tree was another ninja with the same hitai-ite as Kankuro and Temari, hanging upside down from a branch. "I'm impressed you sensed my presence as soon as I arrived." The ninja stated opening his eyes. He had red hair, a tattoo of the kanji for 'love' on his left temple and teal coloured eyes, his eyes were surrounded in dark rings, as if he hadn't slept in a long time. He had a gourd strapped to his back with the hitai-ite attached to the strap, he also wore a black shirt and pants with a white sash going over his left shoulder and ending at his right hip. The nin shifted his gaze to Kankuro. "Kankuro, you're an embarrassment. Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" The nin asked in a cold voice.

Kankuro quickly put the package on his back again. "I know... I-I mean they challenged us! They started the whole thing really, see here's what happened-"

Kankuro was trying to come up with a believable lie and this nin knew it so he just interrupted him. "Shut up." He said in the same cold voice, causing Kankuro to flinch and sweat slightly. "Or I'll kill you!" The nin finished in an even colder voice.

"Uh, right. I was totally out of line, I-I'm sorry Gaara, I was totally out of line." Kankuro quickly apologized.

The newly named Gaara looked toward the group that Naruto was at the front of as Sasuke dropped down to join them. "I'm sorry... for any trouble he caused." Gaara said in his cold tone.

_'There's something up with this guy, something familiar.' _Naruto thought to himself as he felt Gaara's chakra signature and analyzed it, he was currently giving Gaara a sideways glance.

_**'The Kit's right, there is something about his chakra but what is it? There's something familiar but he isn't using enough chakra, I can't tell what it is.' **_Kyuubi thought to himself, frustrated.

_'That guy has an evil look in his eye.' _Sasuke thought to himself, looking straight into Gaara's eyes.

_'The one with the blonde hair could have killed Kankuro at anytime he wanted to, but he didn't. The one with dark hair managed to sneak up on everyone except the blonde one. I think I'll keep an eye on these two.' _Gaara thought as looked over the two. Sand started swirling around Gaara and he disappeared off the tree limb, only to reappear in between Naruto and company and his fellow nin. He appeared kneeling on the ground but quickly stood up and addressed the other two. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." He ordered in a cold voice.

"Oh, right, sure, I get it." Kankuro said quickly. The three then started to walk away.

"Hold on!" Sakura shouted to the three as she stepped from the group. "Hey!" She had to shout again to get the three's attention.

"What?" Temari asked with her back still turned.

Naruto stepped forward to stand beside Sakura. "From your hitai-ite, me and my teammate here are able to tell that you come from Suna, the village hidden in the sand." He announced.

"Hi no Kuni, The land of Fire, and Kaze no Kuni, The land of Wind, are allies but no shinobi are to enter another's village without permission." Sakura stated.

"So state your purpose, or in other words, what the hell are you doing here?" Naruto asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on do you?" Temari said as she turned around. She took out a slip of paper, it had a picture of her and some details. "We have permission." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the slip of paper. "Of course you're correct we are hidden sand genin. Our home is the land of the wind and we're here for the chunin exams."

"So it's time for the chunin exams, already? I thought there were still a month before the next one was supposed to take place." Naruto said as he brought a hand up to his chin. "Guess I can't do anything about you being here. Before you leave though, I would like to know your name, mine is Uzumaki Naruto."

"You mean me? The name's Temari." Temari answered with a slight blush and smile.

"That's nice to know but I was actually talking to your teammate with the gourd. So what's your name, I have given mine." Naruto asked again.

"I also wish to know your name." Sasuke said as he stepped forward so he was on Sakura's other side.

"I am Garra, also known as Sabaku no Garra. I am also curious about the two of you as well. What is your name?" Gaara asked in his cold voice, looking at Sasuke.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke replied simply.

"Good luck in the exams Sabaku-san. I hope we get a chance to face each other." Naruto said with a small bow, keeping his eyes on the red head throughout the bow.

"I would say the same but you're going to need more than luck." Gaara replied in his cold voice. Without another word Gaara and the others left.

_'Things are getting interesting.' _Sasuke thought, watching the sand nins leave.

_'I'm gonna have to watch that guy. There's definitely something strange about him and his chakra.'_ Naruto thought as he was also watching the sand nins leave. "Well now that they're gone how 'bout we go for that ramen?" Naruto asked the group. He was met with three cheers from the kids and a 'hai' from Sakura while Sasuke just walked off. Naruto started patting his pockets. "Huh. Why don't you guys go on ahead, I think I may have dropped my wallet back near the bridge." Naruto said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nii-san!" Konohamaru yelled, disappointed.

"I know, I'm a baka. Just get going, me and Sakura-chan have to get back to the meeting spot after we get our ramen." Naruto told the group as he motioned for them to go. Eventually they all walked away and around another corner on their way to Ichiraku's. Naruto turned his head to face another tree in the area. "If I find you three spying on any Leaf nin again, I won't be polite about it."

"Hmm. So, someone did notice us? I guess this place isn't full of weaklings after all." A nin with bandages covering the majority of his face and head announced as he and his teammates showed themselves. The nin that spoke looked like he had a rug on his back with all the fur and a shirt with overly long sleeves. To his right was a male nin with a yellow shirt with kanji of some sort going down the front, the nins hair was black and stood up in a similar fashion to Kakashi's. To his right was a kunoichi with a sleeveless vest and some forearm guards, her hair was also black and was left to just hang behind her back. All three were wearing a hitai-ite with a song note etched into the plate and all three were wearing matching camo pants and scarf.

"Damn right I noticed you. Care to explain yourselves or are you just going to run?" Naruto asked crossing his arms again.

"I think we'll run, thanks." The one with bandages said as all three disappeared again.

Naruto felt their chakra signatures moving away and relaxed. He quickly checked to make sure there was no one else about and started jogging to catch up to his friends.

* * *

"We should watch the Uchiha and the desert rat. The blonde guy however, I think we should avoid him if possible." The nin with bandages told his teammates as they were leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Come on, he can't be that good. So he managed to sense us, doesn't matter. He could just have very good instincts and sucks when it comes to real combat, I say we just watch him along with the other two." The other male nin spoke.

"No, he was strong alright. Did you see his speed against that sand nin? And when he announced the presences of the other two. His hand was always on one of the sword hilts or near them, he was always ready to fight. I say we try to avoid direct confrontation but watch him all the same." The kunoichi added. _'Plus, I'll get to see more of those cute whisker marks.' _She added to herself mentally as she kept up with the other two.

"Yeah right, you just wanna watch him flex some more don't you?" The nin in the yellow shirt taunted.

The Kunoichi opened her mouth, about to argue when the one with bandages covering his face spoke up. "That's enough Zaku. Kin maybe right, we better keep watch on him as well. Just in case he becomes a problem along the way. Yes, we will watch him if not to try and avoid him but to find a weakness." He ordered the other two.

"Hai, Dosu." The other two replied in unison, not wanting to argue with their leader.

* * *

It had been almost a quarter of an hour since the confrontation with the sand nin and Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were all back on the bridge still waiting for their sensei. Since Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi had still pestered him after getting the ramen, Naruto had decided to create some shadow clones to send off with them. Not just to play ninja with them but to also watch out for them, just in-case that sand nin came back for revenge.

"Dammit! Where is Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto asked out loud, obviously frustrated. He took out a couple of kunai and started twirling them to pass the time.

About ten minutes later Kakashi finally showed with his ever present book and the usual greeting. "Yo! Sorry I'm late, I-"

"Stop trying sensei. It's always obvious that you're lying, it's not even funny any more." Naruto cut in.

"You could at least let me finish Naruto." Kakashi said in his usual monotone.

"Whatever, just give us the forms for the chunin exams." Naruto replied, extending an open palm after replacing his kunai.

"What makes you think I nominated you?" Kakashi returned without changing his tone of voice.

"Let's just say a little dolphin told me the exams were coming up and told me all nine new genin from this year would be taking them." Naruto replied with a small smirk. _'Gotta thank Iruka-sensei for the info but I have to remember to prank him for lying to me about the date and place.'_

"A little dolphin? Don't you mean a little bird Naruto?" Sakura asked, confused at her teammates mix up.

"I know what I mean, Sakura-chan. Don't worry I haven't gone nuts or anything. Now, about those forms Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said turning back to Kakashi.

"Fine, you're right, Naruto. I did nominate team 7, here are the forms, you are to sign those and bring them to the academy, room 301, in four days time." Kakashi explained as he handed the three of them the identical forms. "We won't be taking anymore missions for now so you can use those four days to think on wether or not you'll be taking the exam or to train and get ready for the exam. This is all voluntary, it's up to each of you. I'll leave you to think about it and Naruto, next time you see your informant, give him a bop on the head for me okay? Well, see ya 'round." Kakashi said as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

A few minutes later, after reading over the forms and signing it quickly with the brush he carried around to make his seals, Naruto announced what his teammates already knew. "Well, I'm taking the exams. Sakura-chan, if you're gonna be taking the exams too and want some more training from me, then I'll be over at the usual training grounds. Just make sure to announce your approach, I'll be training with my swords and might just attack you if you try and sneak up on me." He told her quickly before leaping away.

"Hn. Dobe, there's no point in him taking the exam, he has no chance of passing." Sasuke said as he walked off the bridge.

With the boys gone, it left Sakura to think about the exams. _'Should I take the exams? Training with Naruto-kun has made me stronger but am I really ready for this? I did take down three of those guys in the last mission but they were just civilians. Naruto-kun did most of the work and back in wave I had to be saved by Sasuke-kun.' _

Sakura started walking without an actual destination in mind, being too deep in thought._ 'This exam is gonna have a lot skilled ninja in it. Am I ready to face another ninja in a life and death situation? I did face Haku but he never really tried to kill us, he's even a friend now. Wait, before the mission to the Mantis village I got attacked by that rain nin, I managed to take him on pretty easily but then again he used mostly genjutsu on me and ran away, I never got to try an actual fight with him. Guess I'll just go and ask Naruto-kun for some more training and advice.'_

At the last thought she started walking towards the training grounds. She was still deep in thought on her way, weighing the pros and cons on taking the exams. She was so deep in thought, that she forgot to announce her approach and soon found a sword at her throat. "Sakura?" Naruto asked dumbly. "Didn't I tell you to announce your approach? I could have killed you! You're lucky I check my targets before I go on a full on attack." Naruto ranted as he took the broadsword from her throat. "So... you taking the exam?"

Sakura just looked at him numbly for a moment, until she finally snapped from her thoughts. "Hey! You're supposed to call me Sakura-chan."

Naruto just sighed and lowered his head as a bead of sweat formed on his head. "I thought that was just when we were around other people? Wait, that doesn't matter, why are you here?" Naruto said quickly, sheathing both broadswords.

Sakura got a serious look on her face as she looked away for a moment. "Naruto-senpai, do you think I'm ready for these exams?" She asked dejectedly. "I know I'm stronger than I was in the academy and all but do you think I'm ready to go up against enemy ninja?"

Naruto looked at her surprise clearly evident on his face, from the eyebrow he raised and the look in his eyes. "Sakura-chan, why are you asking me this? After all it's your choice to take the exam or not. I don't know why you're so worried, if you think you're not ready then you don't have to try it this time around. If you want my opinion on your skill level though, I think you've grown a lot. I would say you're probably one of the strongest kunoichi genin from Konoha right now. I know it sounds like my pride as your substitute sensei talking but I really am impressed with your progress, especially after you started focusing more on training rather than 'Sasuke-kun'." Naruto said, walking over to a tree and sitting down, he signalled for Sakura to join him.

What he said was true, Sakura had grown, she held her hair in a ponytail now instead of letting it fall all over the place, although she still had a couple of bangs framing her face. She had adjusted the dress she usually wore in the academy so it wouldn't hinder her training or fighting. She had rolled up the front and secured it with a belt so that her legs were free to kick, run, block or counter if need be. She also used the belt to carry medical supplies such as bandages and gauze, she also kept a small pouch filled with senbon on her right hip. The pants she wore were a little baggier than they used to be to, again, free up movement in her legs.

She smiled at him thankfully and walked over and sat down near him. "Arigatou, Naruto-senpai. I still want to know your opinion though, do you think I'm ready for the exams? After all, you and Sasuke had to save me a few times before now."

"That may be true Sakura-chan but that's what teammates are for, to watch your back. Besides, if I remember correctly you saved Sasuke a couple of times. To be brutally honest with you Sakura-chan, I think you are ready for these exams. You may not make it to chunin but you can always use the experience. If I were to make the choice for you Sakura-chan, I would tell you to try it." Naruto told her, his arms resting behind his head as he looked to the sky.

Sakura smiled over to him again. "Naruto-senpai, I'm taking the exams. Before talking to you Naruto-kun, I didn't think I was ready but now, after what you said and all the training you've given me, it would be wrong to not try." There was a new confidence in her voice, she wanted to try this, she wanted show Naruto that his training her was not a waste and that he and Sasuke didn't have to save her all the time.

"Glad to hear it. Now, how about we go back to training? We gotta be in top shape if we expect to pass." Naruto announced as he leapt back to his feet and created some shadow clones. "You can spar against these guys until I'm done training with my swords. They won't be using any ninjutsu but they will use weapons so you can use weapons as well or ninjutsu, if you want."

One of the clones looked at her and made a taunting gesture. "Well? What are you waiting for? An invitation?" The clone drew a broadsword ready to defend.

Sakura looked at the clone and then saw the real Naruto walk off, drawing both broadswords as he went. Sakura looked back at the clone and smirked. "No, just coming up with a plan." She replied as she went on the attack with a renewed confidence.

* * *

Sasuke was at the training grounds he and Kakashi used whenever they trained or whenever all of team 7 trained together. He was taking the exams and he wanted to be ready. "Kakashi! I know you're here. Train me, I want to learn how to use my sharingan more." He shouted from the middle of the field.

"You know, Sasuke, if you want something you usually say please. Besides, I've already trained you on activating your sharingan. What else could I teach you?" The lazy jounin asked after dropping from a tree.

"I want to learn how to keep it activated, like yours. It's no use if I can't activate it and keep it going for as long as I want. Now, train me!" Sasuke demanded as he snapped into a taijutsu stance. _'I have to get better I need to master the sharingan if I'm to have any chance against him. Naruto... you will be my measuring stick. You act like you're better than me and yet every time a ask for a spar you turn me down. You may even be better than me with some things but I am an Uchiha and I will not be beaten.'_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the approaching jounin.

"Alright, Sasuke. If you want to train so much I think I can help you. Give me a second." Kakashi said as he brought his hands up to create the cross seal for the shadow clone jutsu. A clone appeared next to Kakashi and quickly shunshined away. "That clone has just gone off to find Naruto. You'll find out what my plan is in a couple of minutes, until then you may as well warm up." Kakashi told the Uchiha as he walked over to a tree and leaned against the trunk to continue his reading.

Sasuke just remained in his taijutsu stance. A couple of minutes passed and several plumes of smoke erupted in the training ground. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei, what did you need us for?" A voice sounded from within one of the smoke clouds.

Kakashi had looked up from his book as soon as he noticed the smoke. "Excellent. Thanks for the assistance Naruto. This amount of clones should be perfect to spar with Sasuke."

"So that's why you needed us, I guess it would be okay to spar with him since we're only clones. I wouldn't get your hopes up about copying any of our techniques though, Teme. We won't be wasting any chakra like that, all our attacks are gonna be straight forward taijutsu and don't worry, we won't kick your ass... too badly." The clone finished.

"This is your training for me? Getting the Dobe to make some clones just so I can destroy them!? This is pointless!" Sasuke yelled to the jounin.

"Not true, Sasuke. The best way to learn control of your sharingan is to use it as much as possible. If I were to spar with you then eventually, I would tire" Kakashi paused for a moment for Sasuke to take it in. _'Might take a while but I would definitely get bored before then.' _He added in his thoughts. "With the shadow clones though, as soon as the one you're fighting is gone you can go straight on to a fresh one. It'll be good as stamina training as well as training for your sharingan, since you seem to have no problem keeping your sharingan active during a fight. Oh, and Narutos? Please go slow enough for him to at least block your attacks."

One of the clones 'humphed' and crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll go slow enough for him to block but I'm not pulling any punches."

"You won't have a chance to throw any punches!" Sasuke yelled as he charged at the clone that had been talking. He cocked his right fist back to throw a punch only to have it blocked.

"I said I'd go slow enough for you to block but I never said anything about slowing down my blocks... or counters!" The clone yelled as he grabbed the arm and pulled Sasuke into his fist. "If you want to have a chance at blocking the next one, you better activate your sharingan." Sasuke flew back a few feet and skidded to a stop on his back.

"That was a lucky shot, the Dobe always gets at least one in any fight he's been in. You're nothing more than a clone of the Dobe so you won't have a chance of getting another one!" Sasuke yelled as he leapt back up.

The sparring continued late into the day. Sasuke managed to dispel a couple of the clones but there were at least twenty to begin with. What infuriated Sasuke more was the fact that the clones weren't using any advanced moves or jutsu. _'I want to learn more so I can get better dammit! Use some advanced moves or jutsu you damn Dobe!'_

* * *

In another training grounds, far from Sasuke, Kakashi and the Narutos, there was the dull 'thunk' of kunai hitting a target. "Gai-sensei has been talking about his rival, Kakashi, a lot more than normal. It seems his flames of youth have been fanned by his rival's actions." A green spandex clad genin announced.

"Why? What's he done this time?" A kunoichi asked as she threw another kunai, only for it to land next to the last one.

"It seems Kakashi has entered his own genin team this year. From what I've heard they seem to be very youthful, I've also heard that one of his students was rookie of the year." The spandex clad genin replied.

"Interesting, what are the names of his students?" Another genin with long brown hair and a hitai-ite made with black cloth and some belt like attachments asked his teammates.

"They are only rumors, but the names I have are..."

* * *

**Author Note;**  
Well another chapter closer to the chunin exams. Just made a few correctons, namely Gaara's name, I put it down as Garra. Thank you to the person that corrected me. You know who you are. ;)

Even more corrections made. I figured out a way to sort it out but still keeping the geneal idea going. Thanks for the info, I really should research the japanese language some more but then again I find it more fun to learn a little bit at a time like I'm doing now.Right now I'm just hoping that my other translations into Japanese are correct. I really should find a beta or a friend who can talk Japanese so I can get the correct terms and translations for my made up techniques. Okay rant over, I'm done.


	16. Bushy Brows and an Old Friend

To anyone who thinks I made Naruto a little too polite, let me ask you this, if you had been trained by the demon king who had a short fuse for six years, wouldn't you be inclined to be a little more polite too?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ON TO THE FANFICTION!

Chapter 16 – Bushy Brows and an Old Friend

* * *

**Last time:**

"Interesting, what are the names of his students?" Another genin with long brown hair and a hitai-ite made with black cloth and some belt like attachments asked his teammates.

"They are only rumors, but the names I have are..."

**This Chapter:**

Four days, several hundred clones and many hours of training later. Naruto was walking up to the academy, he was slightly tired. From all the clones he created for Sasuke to fight, all the clones he made for Sakura to fight and then all the chakra he used helping Sakura perfect her techniques and teaching her one new one.

He had trained some himself as well, he had copied a couple of new seals he hoped would help in the exam. He was getting used to the dual wield work of the broadswords but he was still a little wet behind the ears with them. The knives he could use easily since they had given lessons on how to fight with kunai in the academy, the only difference was the knives being single edged. He'd also taken all the weapons from the last C-rank mission, the weapons he didn't want anyway, and put them in a new scroll. He'd left the scroll that stored the blood clone controlled by Kyuubi, back at the compound since he'd be inside the village and probably wouldn't need him for these exams. He'd kept the new weapons attached though, incase there would be fighting in the exam.

He walked up to Sasuke who was leaning against the fence outside the academy. "Hey Teme, been waiting long?"

"Hn." Was Sasuke's reply.

"That long, huh?" Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at him strangely. "Hn?"

"Nah, I don't understand you every time you use that non verbal 'Hn' of yours, but I have a pretty good idea what you mean when you use it." Naruto explained, grinning. Sasuke just gave him an incredulous look.

"Ohayou Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun!" Came the tired voice of Sakura.

"Damn, Sakura-chan, you look pretty tired. You stayed up late practicing your jutsu didn't you?" Naruto said in a concerned and slightly angry tone.

"I know you told me not to Naruto-senpai, but I wanted to make sure I had them all down. Besides I made it here didn't I?" Sakura replied with a smile.

Sasuke was giving her a slightly surprised look. _'She's been practicing her jutsus? She does look pretty tired and it looks like the 'depleted chakra' kinda tired. She was pretty stupid to train to this point especially before the exam. Still, if the jutsus she's been practicing are anything like the jutsus I saw her use last then that is pretty impressive. Maybe she's worth my time?' _Sasuke thought, looking Sakura over. He noticed the changes that had occurred since the academy, the way she'd adapted her clothing and hairstyle to fit with her ninja life. He also noticed she was still wearing the weights Naruto had given her, even now when she was tired. He, of course, also wore weights now. He kept them hidden under the leg and arm warmers he usually wore.

"Hey, earth to Sasuke-teme! We're going to head out for the exam room now, are you gonna come with or are you just gonna stand there and check Sakura-chan out some more?" Naruto said as he waved his hand in front of Sasuke's face.

Both Sasuke and Sakura blushed at Naruto's comment about him checking her out. He started to splutter out a reply. "I-I wa-wasn't checking her out! I-I was just worried about her!" This caused Sakura to blush more and Naruto to raise an eyebrow at his words. "I-I mean, I was worried she would be too tired to be of any use for us... as a team." Sasuke quickly corrected as he turned around and started for the academy. Naruto just snickered at Sasuke trying to keep his uncaring attitude up.

"Well? Are we gonna do this or not?" Sasuke asked, turning his head enough to look at the two over his shoulder. Naruto and Sakura just walked up to be in step with him. What Sasuke found surprising about what happened just now, wasn't the fact that he lost his cool or that he spaced out and let his guard down. What surprised him was that he had actually been checking Sakura out!

_'I can't start thinking about girls now, I still have to kill Itachi. Then again, after I kill Itachi, I'm going to need a wife to resurrect my clan. Maybe I should ask Sakura now, before she gives up on me?' _Sasuke turned on to the stairs to get to the second floor. _'She does seem to have gotten stronger... NO!! I need to focus on killing Itachi first and foremost, only then can I restart my clan. Wait a second what's going on over there?' _He thought as he reached the second floor to see a crowd of genin gathered in front of a room labeled 301.

"Hey what's up with the genjutsu?" Sakura whispered as she arrived next to him.

"Looks like they're trying to narrow down the candidates for this year by distracting them with the genjutsu." Naruto said as he arrived next to Sakura.

They looked on at the gathering of gullible genin. At the front of the crowd they saw a genin wearing green spandex trying to get pass a couple of chunin who were guarding the door. The chunin at the door were pretty normal, they were wearing their hitai-ite on their foreheads as normal and wearing some dark clothes that would make stealth easy, one was also carrying some sort of weapons on his back. What really caught their attention though was the ninja in green spandex. Not only was he wearing the green spandex but he was also wearing fighting bandages on both hands that covered his knuckles and most of his forearm, he also wore some bright orange leg warmers. Coincidentally it seemed to be the same shade of orange as Naruto's old jumpsuit. The nin wore his hitai-ite as a belt, had a bowl haircut and some of the bushiest eyebrows with some of the buggiest eyes any of them had ever seen. All in all the nin seemed ridiculous.

"Please allow me and my team to pass, we are here to take part in the exam." The spandex wearing nin asked the two chunin at the door, only to be punched in the face!

A kunoichi in a pink, sleeveless, chinese shirt, caught the spandex clad genin. "Please let us through we're supposed to go in there!" She received a punch in reply as well. She looked more like a usual kunoichi, her pants were the same design as Naruto's except they were a solid dark blue colour. She wore her hitai-ite around her head and wore her hair in two buns at the top of her head.

_'Ten-chan!?'_ Naruto thought looking at the kunoichi he now realized was Ten-ten. If he didn't know that this was part of the test and that Ten-ten could take a weak punch like that, he would have punched that chunin's lights out by now. _'Leave it be, she's just putting on a show to get rid of the competition. Don't waltz in and save her, gotta hide our skill level so we can surprise the opposition later on.'_

As Naruto was thinking this though, Sasuke had to show off. Sasuke walked up to the chunin guarding the door. "What do you two think you're doing?" The Uchiha asked the chunin without the weapons.

"What are you talking about?" One of the chunin asked.

"It's ob-hmmph!!" Sasuke's mouth had been quickly covered by Naruto and Sakura as they dragged him off.

"Sorry, we don't want any trouble. Come on Sakura-chan, if we're not getting in we may as well go out for ramen and forget about it this year. You and your friend wanna join us Ten-chan?" Naruto asked Ten-ten with a wink, as he and Sakura dragged the struggling and ranting Uchiha away from the door.

"Naruto-kun! I was wondering when you'd show up for the exam but I guess it was for nothing." She said looking back at the chunin. "Yeah, me and my teammate will join you, mind if my other teammate comes along?." She said as she helped the green spandex clad genin to his feet and pointed out the last member of her team.

The guy looked to be a pompous ass like Sasuke the way he had his arms crossed. From his eyes it was obvious he was a Hyuuga. He had long brown hair and a hitai-ite made with black cloth and some belt like attachments. He also wore a beige jacket and some baggy black pants, for some strange reason his entire right arm and leg had bandages covering them.

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Naruto said with a nod as they started walking towards the stairs. Sakura knew that was a signal for her to put up a small genjutsu to hide their presence.

They all stopped when Sakura put a closed fist up, Naruto brought his index finger to his lips, signaling for all of them to be quiet. Sakura quickly pointed toward the stairs that lead to the third floor. They all walked toward and then up them silently. Not until they reached the third floor and a rather large indoor training area that had three pillars on the far side of the room, did they start talking again and Naruto and Sakura took their hands away from Sasuke's mouth while Naruto destroyed the paralysis seal he had used on him.

"What the hell was that about? I was just about to put those chunin in their place!" He yelled as soon as he got the chance.

"Exactly why we had to get you away from there. Those chunin will narrow the playing field for us, less teams but only the most powerful will get through. Don't you want a challenge, Teme?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "Fine, but I'm surprised you wouldn't want at least one weak team to get through so you have a chance, Dobe." Sasuke retorted.

"Alright that's enough we have an exam to do you two!" Sakura yelled stepping between the two.

_'Did she just yell at me?' _Sasuke thought to himself.

Naruto chuckled. "Sorry Sakura-chan, guess I got carried away." He brought both hands behind his head and broke into a grin. "We'll pick this up later, Teme. Now then, we have until 3pm for the exams to start. That leaves a full hour for now." He turned to look at Ten-ten and her team since they had been standing there in silence the whole time. "So, Ten-chan, it's been a while, what you been up to?"

_'Wow, he's changed a lot since I saw him last. I don't remember him being that... muscular. He must have been hiding it with the jumpsuit. That's why he always complained it was too tight! I just thought he was getting fat from all the ramen.' _Ten-ten stepped forward. "Training mostly, Naruto-kun. That's why I haven't had the chance to hang out with you. Oh, by the way these guys are my teammates, Hyuuga Neji." She gestured towards the Hyuuga.

"It seems you figured out the purpose of that flimsy genjutsu downstairs. Not bad, for a rookie." The Hyuuga announced, obviously mocking the team's skills.

"And Rock L- where'd Lee go?" She asked gesturing toward an empty space with a small frown.

"My name is Rock Lee, you are Sakura-san, right?" The one known as Lee asked a confused looking Sakura. "PLEASE BE MY GIRLFRIEND! I VOW TO PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE!" He announced with a thumbs up, wink and grin, his teeth even giving off a small twinkle, he was also sporting a small blush.

Everyone was now looking at the two. "Definitely... not." Sakura replied.

"Why?" Lee asked with a disappointed look.

"Because you're a weirdo!" She said in a matter of fact voice.

_'Gotta admit, he is kinda weird. Especially those eyebrows.' _Naruto thought looking between Sakura and Lee. _'That Neji guy looks like the strongest of the three but looks can be deceiving. Even if that Lee guy is weird, he looks like he can hold his own, after all, the bruises he had a minute a go are already gone.' _Naruto thought looking over to Neji and then back at Lee. Lee sulked over to a wall and leaned against it with his head down.

Neji looked at Sasuke. "Hey what's your name?" Neji asked Sasuke as he stepped toward him.

Sasuke looked right back at Neji. "It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking another's."

"Don't be an ass Sasuke, Ten-chan already gave his name." Naruto told Sasuke, he looked back to Neji. "The Teme is Uchiha Sasuke, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and the kunoichi of our team is Haruno Sakura." Naruto said, pointing to Sakura with his thumb.

Lee looked up slightly from his place next to a wall. _'The Uchiha. He will be perfect to test my skills.'_

Naruto looked back to Ten-ten. "Hey Ten-chan, I got something you might like!" Naruto reached for the scroll containing all the weapons he'd swiped from the last C-rank. He opened it up on the floor and unsealed the first storage seal which contained the first lot of weapons. "I got these from a C-rank mission. There aren't any swords because I put those in a different scroll."

Ten-ten was staring wide-eyed at the small pile of weapons in front of her. "Wow! How'd you get all these in a C-rank?" She asked looking over the small pile, her eyes lingering on some of the more interesting weapons.

"Our last C-rank was to apprehend some thugs up in a place called Mantis village. There were about twenty-five of them all together and all of them carried weapons. When we took them all down our sensei said I could do whatever I wanted with the weapons! Almost everyone of them carried some kind of knuckle duster, a few of them had knives too. I took some of the knives but left some others. I wanted to ask you about this weapon though." Naruto said as he picked up a multi bladed weapon. It looked like a sword except there were several smaller blades coming out of the central one. Some of the blades were curved and sharpened on one edge, others just stuck out and shaped strangely with every side sharpened. At the tip there were two blades that came out and made it look like an axe.

Ten-ten stared at the weapon, it was one of the few she had found interesting. "I think that's a type of throwing knife, Naruto-kun. It's usually used by novice knife throwers because all these extra blades give a better chance of hitting a target. The best part though, is when an expert knife thrower uses them they're more deadly than ordinary throwing knives. An expert could get two blades to strike at once or even cut off a limb." She explained as she silently asked to hold the weapon. "Mind if I show you how deadly it can be?" She asked with a grin.

"As long as I'm not the target, sure." Naruto said with a shrug.

Ten-ten turned to a pillar on the other side of the room and threw the knife. When it landed, the three blades that were on one side were all buried into the pillar. Everyone, except Neji and Lee, were staring wide-eyed at the result. Naruto finally got out of his shock to talk again. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said an expert could make them more deadly. Well there's a couple more of those knives in there, the other two are smaller though." Naruto said as he pointed towards the scroll. He then rushed over and yanked the knife out of the pillar. "I guess these are gonna be useful for you then." He said as he walked back over to the pile.

"What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" Ten-ten asked with a confused look on her face.

"What do you think I mean?" He asked back while resealing the weapons. He then rolled the scroll back up and held it out to her. "These weapons are for you! I thought you might like them seeing as you're so interested in weaponry. I'm just sorry I took all swords."

Several things happened after he said that, first Ten-ten was speechless, then her eyes locked on to the scroll with a sparkle appearing in them and an open-mouth smile tugging at her lips. After a couple more seconds she squealed and glomped Naruto. "Arigatou, Arigatou, ARIGATOU!" She screamed as she squeezed Naruto's head in a hug and swung him about like a rag doll. It didn't help that he was still short, his face only came up to her chest.

"Ten-... chan... can't... breathe!" Naruto gasped out. Ten-ten promptly let go, it was true he had turned blue in the face, he fell to the floor when Ten-ten let go of him.

Ten-ten had a small blush realizing just where his face had been. "Gomen, Naru-kun, uh, I mean, Naruto-kun."

Naruto inhaled the air deeply. "I gotta remember to bring you weapons more often. It's always good to see you happy like this." Naruto said as he put his hands behind his head and grinned up at Ten-ten from his spot on the floor. _'I am not a pervert, gotta keep the blood away from my face, don't look at her chest, her soft- NO! STOP THAT! I'm just lucky it was her that put me there, otherwise I'd be dead by now.' _He thought to himself as he held out the scroll for her again.

Sakura was glaring slightly at the two of them as Ten-ten received the scroll and kept it safely in her pouch. She was glaring at Naruto because of where his face had just been buried and Ten-ten because of what she did to _her_ Naruto-senpai. "Alright, that's enough, let's go to the real exam room now." She said grabbing the back of Naruto's vest and started dragging him away.

"Wait a second! What did you do with the swords then?" Ten-ten asked Naruto as she grabbed the front of his vest to stop him being dragged away.

Naruto looked between the two girls hanging on to his vest. "Before I answer that, could the two of you let go of my clothes please?" Both girls let go. "Alright, well three of the swords, you can see on me right now. The broadswords on my right and this wakizashi came from the same mission." He said as he brought his hands to rest on the end of the hilts.

Ten-ten's eyes were immediately on the wakizashi. "Can I see the wakizashi please, Naruto-kun?"

"I thought you'd want to see it." He had a smile on his face as he held it out to her, still in the scabbard, nobody had seen him actually remove it from his belt.

_'How'd he do that?' _Ten-ten thought as she put out both hands as Naruto lowered the sword into her hands. She brought a hand to the hilt and the other hand to the top of the scabbard. She then used her thumb to push the blade out just enough to release the habaki and proceeded to draw the blade out, carefully. There was a twinkle in her eye as she looked over the blade. _'The craftsmanship is beautiful and impressive. It's damn near perfect, wish I could have this but Naru-kun chose this out of all the blades he collected in his mission. I can't ask him to part with it.' _She thought as she sheathed the blade.

"From the look on your face, it looks like you approve of the blade?" Naruto asked as he put his hands out to receive the sword. He reattached the scabbard to his belt.

"Yes, it's a good sword. What about the other swords though?" She asked as he looked back up to her.

Naruto broke into a grin. "The other's are all in here." Naruto replied as he pulled out the very first scroll in his belt from behind his back and held it up. "I've also got some swords from my first C-rank in here. I'll show you those some other time though, when we have more time to talk about them." He said again as he replaced the scroll.

"Alright, we have wasted enough time. I am heading to the exam room. Ten-ten, Lee, do not be late." The Hyuuga said coldly before he walked away.

"I guess I better get going. Neji can be a little rude sometimes and I don't want him to get killed by nin from other villages because he's being ass. I better go keep him in line." Ten-ten said before she hugged Naruto and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, eliciting a blush from the blonde. "Thanks again for the weapons Naru-kun!"

Naruto chuckled in embarrassment. "No problem Ten-chan." Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Lee, you coming?" Ten-ten asked the spandex clad genin.

"I will be with you in a moment, I wish to speak with Sakura-san's teammates." Lee replied.

"Alright don't take too long. Wouldn't want them to miss the exam now." Ten-ten said as she left with a wave and a quick wink to Naruto.

As soon as his two teammates left the room he turned to Sasuke. "As Ten-ten-chan said, my name is Rock Lee and I wish to fight you, right here and right now."

"You wanna fight me here and now, huh?" Sasuke asked in as bored a tone as he could manage.

"Hai, you said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first. Uchiha Sasuke! I challenge you! I have heard people talk of the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true, I figured you would be a good test for me. Also..." Lee looked over to Sakura, who flinched slightly at the look. Lee got a blush on his face as he announced. "Oh, SAKURA!... I LOVE YOU!"

Sakura immediately backed up and grabbed a kunai. "No way! Your hairstyle is awful and those eyebrows are so BUSHY, you're such a weirdo!"

"You are a tenshi... sent from HEAVEN!" Lee announced as a small heart appeared from his wink and he blew it towards Sakura.

_'How the hell did he do that? Is it a genjutsu?' _Naruto thought as he just stood by and watched the small heart float toward Sakura.

Sakura was whimpering slightly at the approaching heart. She quickly side stepped it before it hit her. "That was a good move, but let us see you dodge this!" Lee announced as he sent more hearts her way.

_'If this is a genjutsu, it's a pretty lame one, still this is kinda fun to watch.' _Naruto thought with an amused smile as he continued to watch. Sakura ducked and weaved between the hearts and even deflected one or two with her kunai. When it was over she looked extremely relieved.

_'That was too close!'_ She thought as she backed up some more and dove behind a pillar. "Keep your valentines to yourself!" She shouted from behind the pillar.

"You have been trained well Sakura-san." Lee praised her.

Naruto couldn't help but grin. "Of course, you really think Sakura-chan couldn't dodge those after my training." Naruto told the spandex clad genin.

Sasuke ignored what just happened and carried on with the previous conversation. "You've heard of the Uchiha clan and yet you're challenging me? You must be more psycho than you look, if that's possible." Sasuke stepped forward ready to meet the challenge. "You wanna know more about my clan, then I'll teach you! The hard way!"

"Bring it on!" Lee replied as he brought his hand up and went into a stance that looked like he was taunting his opponent. _'Excellent! A match up against the number one rookie. I will draw him out and get him to reveal his technique and I will prove myself to you Gai-sensei. I have trained hard for this.'_

"Hold on a sec guys!" Naruto yelled. The two of them looked over to the blonde ninja. "Give me a second to get comfortable." Naruto said as he turned around with his arms crossed. This caused Sasuke and Sakura to just look at him incredulously. He walked over to the pillar Sakura was behind. He turned back to the two fighters as he sat down, his back against the pillar, and said. "Okay, I'm good."

"Dobe. The fight isn't gonna last that long." Sasuke said cockily as he turned back to look at Lee. Sakura took this opportunity to come out from behind the pillar and lean on the pillar next to the sitting Naruto.

* * *

I feel I should tell you, out of all the top leaf genin, I am the best. Fight me and I will prove it to you.!" Lee announced.

"That so? Then lets do this!" Sasuke replied.

"Stop talking and get on with it then. There's less than half an hour until we gotta register." Naruto yelled from his seat.

"Shut up, Dobe! It doesn't matter. This will all be over in five seconds!" Sasuke yelled to the blonde as he charged forward.

_'Here he comes, forgive me Gai-sensei. I know it is forbidden, but I may have to break the rules and use that jutsu!' _Lee thought as he watched Sasuke charging.

Once Sasuke was within striking distance, he threw a right hook. Only for Lee to disappear before it hit and reappear above his head ready to throw a spinning kick. "Konoha Senpū!"

_'Gotta dodge it!' _Sasuke thought as he moved as quickly as possible to get away from the kick. What he didn't expect was Lee immediately dropping down in front of him and go for another kick to his face. _'I can't move fast enough! I've gotta block him.' _Were Sasuke's thoughts as he brought up his guard. When Lee got through that guard and landed the kick to his face though, only one thought went through his head. _'WHAT!' _Subsequently, he was sent flying back through the air and landed hard on his back, skidding to a halt.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted out in concern. She almost ran in to stop the fight but Naruto stopped her.

"Don't worry, anything serious happens, I'll stop it." Naruto reassured her. She calmed down and went back to leaning on the pillar.

Back with Sasuke, he was getting back up from his fall. "What's going on!?" Sasuke asked frustratedly to himself more than anyone.

Sakura looked down to Naruto for answers. "I don't get it though, Naruto-senpai. Sasuke-kun had his guard up, how'd he get hit?"

"Just keep watching, Sakura-chan. You'll find out as the fight goes on." Was Naruto's only reply.

* * *

_'He must be using some jutsu to get to me! But what could it be! A ninjutsu or a genjutsu?' _Sasuke thought as he looked back at Lee.

_'Excellent he is coming back for more as I'd hoped.' _Lee thought as he watched the Uchiha stand up again.

_'Doesn't matter now! I'll just use my new ability!'_ He thought with a small smirk. "I've been waiting to try this out on someone else." Sasuke said as he turned to look at Lee head on, his sharingan blazing strongly.

* * *

"So, he did learn how to maintain his sharingan." Naruto said out loud.

"What? What are you talking about Naruto-senpai?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Remember four days ago, Kakashi showed up in our training field asking for my help?" Sakura nodded as her reply. "Well this is what he wanted help with. He wanted me to send some clones over so Sasuke could spar with them. Thing is, Sasuke could keep the sharingan up but only just, when he was in the middle of battle." He allowed that information to sink in and then continued. "All that time sparring with my clones allowed Sasuke to experience using his sharingan over an extended period of time. I did suspect that he had figured out how to maintain his sharingan but I wasn't completely sure." Naruto saw Sakura open her mouth ready to ask the inevitable, why? "The reason I didn't know for sure was because Sasuke only destroyed a few of my clones in that time frame so I never got that much info about his progress." He explained quickly.

"So, Sasuke-kun should be able to read this guy's jutsu now and beat him, right?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"Wait and see, Sakura-chan. Never guess the outcome of a fight in the middle, you always wait for the knock-out or the forfeit." Was Naruto's reply.

* * *

_'So, that is the sharingan?' _Lee thought as he watched the Uchiha.

_'Genjutsu? Or ninjutsu? Whichever one he's using, I'll see it now!' _Were Sasuke's thoughts as he locked on to Lee with the sharingan. Once again he charged at Lee, watching every detail. Waiting, for the slightest hint of a jutsu.

* * *

_'Why would Naruto-kun say that? There's no way Sasuke-kun could lose to a guy like this!' _Were Sakura's thought's as she watched Sasuke charge toward the spandex clad genin. Only for her eyes to widen in shock as Sasuke was once again kicked back by the spandex clad genin. _'How is he doing that?'_

Sasuke was flying back through the air again, after being on the receiving end of an upward kick, right into his chin, from Lee. _'He got around my guard, again! But how could he!? What kind of jutsu is he using!?' _Sasuke thought, once again frustrated.

Lee righted himself as he got ready to charge at Sasuke, he also spoke. "You see, my technique is neither ninjutsu or genjutsu!" At the final word he charged forward.

Sasuke had just landed after righting himself in the air. He barely saw Lee coming towards him in time to dodge and try to counter. _'Kuso! This guy is faster than Naruto's clone when it was attacking!'_ He narrowly dodged a downward heel kick by stepping back. He then dodged a roundhouse kick coming from his left by ducking under it but by dodging that he had left himself open for a follow up heel kick right into his left cheek. _'Dammit!That kick rattled a few teeth!'_ He thought as he recoiled from the attack.

_'This is easier than I expected.' _Thought Lee as he blocked an incoming fist and grabbed the wrist attached to it. He used the wrist as an anchor and brought his opposing elbow up to strike Sasuke in the gut, he then span away and stopped with his back to the Uchiha.

Sasuke reeled back from the strike. _'The last time I felt something like that was when Naruto kneed me in the academy.' _He thought as he held his stomach where he'd been hit, one of his eyes closing from the pain.

"Do you get it now?" Lee asked as he turned on the spot. "I am using Taijutsu! That means no tricks, Sasuke!" Lee carried on as he brought his open hand forward again ready to attack. He disappeared momentarily, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen in shock. Only to narrow again as he reappeared behind and to the right of Sasuke. "It is just straight martial arts, nothing more."

"WHY YOU!" Sasuke growled as he tried to back hand Lee with his right fist. Only for Lee to leap away again.

He landed a few feet away and went back to the stance he had started in. "I know your technique! Forget it! It will not work! Not on me! I know you can see through your opponent's jutsu, that sharingan gives you the ability to read his chakra and decipher his hand seals and movements and guess what he's going to do almost before he knows himself!" Sasuke and Lee continued to stare each other down. "The problem is, taijutsu is a little bit different!"

"Right so wants your point?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"I do not try to hide or disguise my moves, I do not have to! Even if you can read them you still can not stop them, you are too slow!" Lee stated, not betraying any emotion. Sasuke gave off a slight growl. "Your eyes may be quick enough to stay one step ahead of me but if your body can not keep up what good does it do you?"

_'Damn I was hoping for more time to get faster but looks like I'll just have to reveal it now.' _Sasuke thought with a small smile."Too slow, huh? Then let my just lose some deadweight." Sasuke said as he loosened the belts on his arm and leg warmers quickly and removed the weights that were on underneath them. "There that should do." He said as he tossed the weights behind him, they produced a dull 'thud' as they hit the wooden floor.

* * *

_'Since when has he been wearing weights!? Ah, doesn't matter, it can only make him a stronger teammate, even if he is copying our training method now.' _Naruto thought to himself as he glanced at the weights quickly so as not to miss the fight. _'From the sound of the impact though, it looks like he's only just started wearing them because they didn't sound too heavy.'_"Now let's try that again." Sasuke announced as dashed forward again, faster this time.

* * *

"Excellent, I was hoping to fight you at your best." Lee announced as he awaited the oncoming attack.

Sasuke tried to get Lee with a kick this time, he tried a round house kick to the head with his right leg. _'I was hoping he'd be faster and he is faster but not by much.' _Lee thought as he merely blocked it and went to grab the offending leg only for Sasuke to follow up with a left roundhouse punch. Lee noticed the punch and blocked it with his own, there was a resounding 'CRACK' from the impact.

_'AAAARGH! KUSO! KUSO! KUSO! His fist felt like a rock!' _Sasuke thought as he pulled his fist back quickly due to the pain only to be spun around by his right leg and sent flying into a wall. Sasuke's back hit first as he then slumped down into a sitting position. _'How could he be so fast?!'_

"I'm afraid you are still too slow!" Lee announced as Sasuke got up and stumbled back into the middle of the room. "Your body still can not keep up with me! You see, Sasuke, I believe there are two different kinds of ninja. I believe there are those like you who are born with talent and do not have to work at it. Then there are those like me!THE ONES THAT HAVE TO TRAIN EVERYDAY OF OUR LIVES!" Lee said, shouting the last part. Sasuke just charged wildly at Lee now. Trying to beat him any way he could, he threw a kick only for Lee to dodge. "The fact is your sharingan is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu!" Lee stated as he dodged another attack, a round house punch, followed by a back hand strike from the same hand. "HERE IS WHAT I MEAN!" Lee shouted as he charged in to attack.

_'I can't let him hit me! I have to stop him!' _Sasuke thought as he brought his guard up again and tried to dodge at the same time, hoping that a combination of the two might save him. Sadly for Sasuke it still didn't work. Lee brought his foot up and it connected solidly with Sasuke's chin again. Sasuke was sent skyward from the hit. Lee took this chance to use his jutsu, he kneeled down on the floor and suddenly disappeared. He reappeared once again behind Sasuke as he was still flying through the air. Sasuke looked back at the floating form of Lee behind him. "Kage Buyo." Sasuke said calmly, recognizing the jutsu.

"Good eye! Now I will prove my point!" Lee announced as he clawed his hand and forced the bandages covering his hand to loosen and unwrap themselves. "That hard work beats out natural talent." Lee stated calmly.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the proclamation. _'What's his next move!' _Sasuke thought panicking slightly, unable to see his opponents attack coming.

"You're finished!" Lee announced loudly as he went to use his jutsu.

* * *

_'Woah! This guy knows that technique!' _Naruto had learnt this jutsu and performed it once and didn't like the amount of damage it would do to his opponent, especially if it was a Konoha nin._ 'If he pulls it off with Sasuke as the target this could end badly. Guess I better step in and help Sasuke.' _Naruto thought, sighing internally. He then saw the projectile heading for Lee's bandage from the other side of the room. _'Well that saves me some trouble but I'm still gonna have to break the Teme's fall, I guess.' _Naruto made a quick signal with his index and middle finger in the direction Sasuke was falling.

* * *

Lee also saw the projectile heading for his bandage and one thought went through his head. _'KUSO!' _Although he would never say that out loud, it was just how he felt at the sight of this particular projectile. Since it meant trouble for him to be caught using this jutsu when not under the right circumstances.

The point of the projectile caught the end of Lee's bandage and embedded itself along with the bandage in the wall. The projectile revealed itself to be a mere pinwheel, the blades slowly spinned to a stop while in the wall.

Everyone turned to look where the pin wheel had come from. "This is bad." Lee said to himself out loud as he looked at the source. Which happened to be a rather large tortoise... or some kind of land turtle.

It's underbelly was yellow while it's limbs, head and shell were red. The plates of his shell were decorated with yellow swirls. It was also wearing a Konoha hitai-ite around it's neck and some kind of orange band on one of it's front legs. "Alright that's enough! Lee!" It yelled at the genin in a gruff voice.

With his bandage acting as an anchor, Lee readjusted himself in the air to land safely. This of course left Sasuke to continue falling and he would have, had it not been for three of Naruto's shadow clones appearing from behind cloaks on the wall he was heading toward. The three leapt toward him one latched on to change his trajectory, while the other two got ready to catch him on the ground. The plan worked and Sasuke was set safely on the ground with a clone to lean on.

"Hey Teme, you okay there?" The clone asked the Uchiha. The real Naruto looked at his teammates demeanor. _'He's shaking, fighting this guy really shook him up.'_

Sakura ran over to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun are you okay, do you feel pain anywhere?" Sakura asked in concern of his health. She performed a diagnostic jutsu and determined he was physically fine, his fist hadn't broken, it was just badly bruised. _'I'm not sure about mentally though. Naruto-kun caught him but he's still shaken up.'_Lee had landed, kneeling in front of the tortoise, or turtle. "You were watching us the whole time?" Lee asked looking at the floor.

* * *

"Of course! That last technique is forbidden, you know that!" The terrapin like creature said in the same gruff voice.

Naruto was watching and listening to the conversation from his spot, his back leaning against the pillar. _'Weird looking animal, with weird markings and able to talk. This thing has gotta be summon.' _He thought to himself as he took note of the animal's strange markings.

* * *

Lee bowed his head further to the terrapin. "I am sorry, I did not mean to." Lee apologized. The terrapin merely gave Lee a look and he was suddenly very nervous. He leapt up and started pleading his case. "I was not planning to use a forbidden jutsu! It is just- I was in the middle of the fight and I mean... you understand-"

Naruto tuned out the rest of the conversation as he got up and walked over to his teammates. There was still something that was nagging at the back of his mind though. He realized what it was when he dispelled the clone helping Sasuke. _'Wait a second!... How did that thing throw the pinwheel!? It doesn't have any hands, let alone opposable thumbs!' _He looked over to his two teammates and asked the question that had presented itself. "Hey guys, did either of you see how that tortoise or turtle threw the pinwheel thing? It's just... he doesn't have any hands so how in the name of Kami did he do it?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head in thought.

"No Naruto-kun, I didn't see. Does it really matter though?" Sakura asked while supporting Sasuke in the clones place. He didn't seem to hear the question as he was starring intently at Lee.

"Well... It's not really important, it's just-" Naruto clutched at his head and gave a frustrated scream. "HOW THE HELL DID HE DO IT! I'm gonna be wondering how he did that all day now!"

* * *

"You're a disgrace!" The terrapin creature spat in his gruff voice, causing Lee to flinch slightly. "You think you'll get away with a bunch of lame excuses like that? A shinobi never reveals his techniques, unless it's absolutely necessary, it's such a basic rule you should know it by now!" The terrapin creature finished.

"Forgive me, sir." Lee asked in a defeated voice.

* * *

Sasuke watched Lee's conversation, he wiped away some dirt that was planted on his face from one of Lee's kicks. He also wiped away some blood from his split lip and carried on glaring daggers into Lee's back. _'How could I lose to that FREAK!?' _He thought angrily. _'First the Dobe and now him!' _Sasuke was growling slightly as he continued his glare.

* * *

"Are you prepared to take the punishment for your actions?" The terrapin asked in his gruff voice.

"I... yes, sir." Lee replied, his head lowered in shame.

"Alright, please come out, Gai-sensei!" The terrapin called out.

When the last word left it's beak an explosion of smoke appeared on it's back. When it cleared, it showed a man that looked like an older version of Lee, except he was wearing a jounin vest, his eyebrows were even bushier and his eyes weren't as buggy as Lee's. "Hey what's shaking? How you doin' everybody, life treatin' good!?" He asked in a cheery voice that would have made anyone suspicious but what got to team 7 was the man's ridiculous pose.

_'This is Lee's sensei?' _Naruto thought as his right bottom eyelid started twitching. "What... the... hell?" Naruto asked to no one.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he grit his teeth at the sight of the man, he was extremely shocked. _'What the hell's up with this guy!'_

Sakura just eye'd the man's eyebrows with a little bit of fear. _'He's even weirder than Lee! His eyebrow are even bigger, bushier and even creepier!' _She thought as she gripped Sasuke a little tighter.

Team 7's different looks of surprise didn't faze the man one bit as he continued to greet his pupil. "Hi, Lee-kun." He said with a thumbs up and a smile that caused his teeth to 'ping' from the light reflecting off them.

"So that's were Lee get's his taste in clothes and hairstyle." Naruto announced out loud.

"This is too weird!" Sakura announced.

"His teacher is even weirder than he is, I didn't think that would be possible." Sasuke announced looking between the two.

A vein formed on Lee's head as he heard the last comment. "Do not insult Gai-sensei! He is one of the greatest men in the entire world!" Lee shouted to Sasuke.

"Whoa! Sorry for not recognizing his greatness but he is acting a little too weird to notice anything else." Naruto stated calmly. _'I know I read that shinobi could get a little eccentric because of their experiences in the field and stuff but this guy is ridiculous! I'm surprised Dad didn't leave a file about this guy.' _He thought to himself.

"HE IS NOT WEIRD!" Lee shouted back his fist tightened as he was glaring at the three.

"Give it a rest, Lee-kun." Gai told the genin.

"Yes, sir." Lee obeyed.

"NOW FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT!" Gai announced as he yelled a war cry, punched Lee right in the face and drew blood! "YOU LITTLE FOOL!" Gai yelled as Lee flew back.

Lee landed a few feet away sprawled on the floor. While Sasuke and Sakura were shocked at Gai's actions, Naruto just looked on indifferent. _'Seems a little light, that's probably what Kyu-sensei would do to me if I ever tried using a forbidden technique or disobeyed him, except I'd probably get hit harder.' _He thought as Gai walked over to Lee.

Lee got up slowly as his sensei spoke. "I'm sorry Lee-kun, but it's for your own good!" Gai sounded almost on verge of tears as he said this.

"Sen- Sensei!" Lee chocked back as he was also on the verge of tears.

There was suddenly a sun-set on the beach in the back ground as Gai had tears streaming down his face. "Oh, Lee-kun!"

"Oh, Sensei! I am so sorry!" Lee chocked back again, tears streaming down his face as well.

_'Okay... Kyu-sensei wouldn't do that with me, thank Kami for that, but where the hell did the frickin' sunset come from! Is it another genjutsu or something!' _Naruto thought as he watched the two uncomfortably.

"Alright, it's over, you don't need to say anymore!" Gai told his student.

"SENSEI!" Lee cried as he dove into Gai's arms for a hug.

"LEE-KUN!" Gai cried as he held his student close. A wave appeared crashing into the rocks the two were supposedly standing on.

All of team 7 was now looking at the two, almost sick from the mushiness of it all. _'How could I lose to someone that LAME!' _Were Sasuke's thoughts on the scene before him.

The two were still kneeling on the spot as they were hugging. Gai trying to comfort Lee. "I'm sorry Gai-sensei." Lee apologized, both of them still crying.

Naruto turned to his two teammates. "It's kinda sweet how they're all huggy and stuff but... it's just too weird at the same time!" He finished looking back at the two, shivering slightly at the image.

Sakura voiced her opinion. "Are you kidding me? They're more crazy than weird!"

* * *

The two spandex clad nin stood up. "You're just caught in between. You're too old to be called a boy and not yet quite a man." The still crying Gai told the still crying Lee.

"You are so good to me... Gai-sensei!" Lee replied.

Gai turned away and pointed off into the distance. "Now take off I want you to give me a hundred laps around the practice field! SHOW ME YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Gai told his student.

"Yes, sir, no problem!" Lee replied with energy.

* * *

_'Ah! That's the rest of the punishment, makes sense, still a little light though.' _Naruto thought, nodding his head until the sunset came back. _'Where is that coming from!?' _Naruto thought as he tried sensing the caster of the supposed genjutsu.

* * *

"Run into the setting sun! Run and suffer! But don't mess up your hair." Gai said the last part quickly. Gai looked at his student and showed his smile which 'ping'ed again. Lee wiped away his tears as he too performed his version of the smile. "Let us go!" Gai announced.

"RIGHT!" Lee shouted in agreement. The two started walking away

"Wait up! Not that I'm trying to get Lee off the hook or anything but Lee needs to participate in the chunin exams!" Naruto yelled stopping the two in their tracks.

"Oh right, I forgot about that!" Gai said as he turned back to Lee. He quickly told Lee all that he had done wrong and thought of a worse punishment. "Let's say 500 laps how does that sound?" Lee gave a positive reply to this new amount of laps.

_'Well that sounds more like it.' _Naruto thought looking at the two even as Gai struck another ridiculous pose.

"They've got to be insane." Sakura stated flatly.

"Not really, I'd probably get the same punishment from my sensei." Naruto said out loud.

"What do you mean your sensei, Natuo-kun? Isn't Kakashi-sensei your sensei?" Sakura asked looking over at the blonde genin.

_'Kuso! I said that out loud, come on think of a lie.' _Naruto thought frantically. "Yeah, he is my sensei but I, uh, was talking about Iruka-sensei! He still gives me some pointers every now and then." Naruto explained quickly. _'Come on, buy it, please, please, please, please.' _Naruto chanted in his head.

_**'There's no chance in hell she'll buy that, you're no good at lying you know that.'**_ Kyuubi announced in Naruto's head.

"Woah! Iruka-sensei would really get you to do that?" Sakura exclaimed surprised.

_'Score! Show's what you know Kyu-sensei!' _Naruto thought triumphantly as he saw his lie had worked. "Yeah, he knows I have a lot of stamina so he gets me to run a lot." He replied with his arms behind his head.

Gai had been watching the two's conversation intently. _'So, that's Kakashi's squad, I'll check 'em out."_

Sasuke had been watching the two spandex clad ninja while Naruto and Sakura had been talking. He noticed Gai's sudden interest in them and apparently so did Sakura. "NO! He's looking at us, we should have snuck away when we had the chance."

"So, tell me, how is Kakashi-sensei?" The spandex clad jounin asked the three.

"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course he knows Kakashi-sensei. Most jounins know one another, after all when you're the best of the best you tend to find out who the other's are." Naruto told the Uchiha.

"You're friend's right. I do know him, people even say he and I are arch rivals for all eternity." Gai answered the Uchiha while holding his chin.

"Yeah right, how could a ninja as ridiculous as you be Kakashi's rival?" Sasuke asked the jounin.

"How dare you! If Gai-sensei says it is true then-" Lee started shouting to Sasuke with a raised fist, only to be stopped by his sensei.

"Let it slide Lee. A ninja's actions speak louder than words." Gai told his pupil as they just stood there for a moment.

Team 7 just watched them for that moment. _'Well, what's he gonna do to- Oh!' _Naruto thought as he noticed Gai move. Naruto turned his head slightly to see Gai standing behind him, Sasuke and Sakura. They soon caught on as well when they noticed Gai had just disappeared from in front of them.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the realization that Gai had moved and he'd missed it even when he didn't blink. He heard the poof usually used by jounin to signify there entrance using shunshin from behind him and spun around to see the spandex clad jounin.

"My record is currently 50 wins and 49 losses, which is one better than Kakashi." Gai announced from his new placement. He noticed that Naruto was already looking at him when he arrived but the other two didn't look at him until he spoke.

"Wait a second, what did you beat him in exactly? If it's concerning speed, then yeah, you win. What about ninjutsu though, I'm pretty sure Kakashi is the expert on ninjutsu aside from Jii-san." Naruto asked only to get a bewildered look from the jounin. "By Jii-san I mean the Hokage." Naruto quickly explained to the jounin.

"I see, well that's were the 49 losses come in. I've challenged him 99 times now and I hold the most wins." Gai told the three.

Sasuke continued to glare at Gai. _'His speed is incredible! He's definitely faster than Kakashi, is he even human?' _He thought to himself.

Lee spoke up from the other side of the room. "You see, Gai-sensei is the best there is!" Sasuke growled lightly at the proclamation.

"I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you. Please look into my eyes and accept my sincere apology, also notice my handsome manly features!" Gai said as he looked over the three.

Naruto turned around fully to face the jounin, he looked to his teammates quickly and noticed they weren't gonna say anything so he decided to speak up. "Thanks for the apology but I should really be thanking Lee it's always good to watch Sasuke get his ass kicked even if I'm not the one that's doing it."

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled at the blonde.

"Hey, it's time he found out there is always someone better than you at something." Naruto retorted.

"Shut it, Dobe." Sasuke told Naruto.

Gai smiled at the rivalry between the two and threw a kunai at the pinwheel holding Lee's bandage. "Lee, why don't you escort these fine ninja to the exam room?"

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee replied as he started picking up the bandage, Gai then disappeared in a puff of smoke along with the turtle or tortoise.

Naruto looked back at the spandex clad genin, his eyes went straight for Lee's bare knuckles. He nudged Sakura to get her attention. "Look at gejimayu's knuckles." Sakura did as he said and took a sharp intake of breath. She was looking at the scars and callouses that decorated Lee's knuckles. "You always wanted to know why I wore these bandages on my knuckles right, Sakura-chan? There's your answer, when you train as hard as he and I do then you're bound to get some injuries and it's always easier to wear the bandages than put them on later." Naruto explained to the kunoichi.

"What are you blabbering about now, Dobe?" Sasuke spat as he turned to the blonde nin.

"Didn't you look at his hands Sasuke? You have to be observant to be a good ninja. From the look of that guys knuckles, he's probably been training until he drops, day in and day out. Which is a lot more than you!" Naruto finished.

Sasukes eyes widened at his blonde teammates words. He then looked over to the spandex clad genin that was walking towards them. "Follow me, I will escort you to the exam room as my sensei asked." He told the three genin of team 7.

"Alright, lead the way gejimayu!" Naruto exclaimed as he put his hands behind his head.

_'Gejimayu?' _Lee thought a little downcast. "Very well but before we go, Sasuke." Lee said getting the Uchiha's attention. "I have not been completely honest. There is one other leaf genin that is better than me and he is on my team. I wanted to test myself but not against you, you were just practice. Now you are a target though, you have been warned."

At that Lee started walking toward the exam room. Naruto soon started following, then Sakura and sluggishly Sasuke. _'Next time, I'll drive him to his knees!' _Sasuke thought to himself as he followed the other's.

* * *

It didn't take them long to get to the exam room. Upon arriving they met up with Kakashi while Lee went on ahead. "I'm glad all of you came." The lazy jounin told the three.

"Huh? Why's that sensei?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because, if any of you had chosen not to participate then none of you would be allowed to take the exams." Kakshi explained plainly.

This recieved shocked stares from all three of them. "Wait a second, you said the choice to participate was up to the individual." Naruto announced.

"And it is, in a way. You did have the choice of taking the exam or not, but if one of you declines then none of you can take it. The chunin exams are always done with groups of three genin, it's how it's always been done." Kakashi explained.

"Interesting, doesn't matter now anyway. We're all here so we don't have to worry about that." Naruto announced.

"Exactly, before you go in though I have one thing to say. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke. I'm proud of the three of you, you three are the best genin squad I could have hoped for, good luck!" Kakashi praised the three, looking over each as he said their names.

The three just smiled or grinned at him and Naruto said what the other two were thinking. "Don't worry sensei, we won't let you down dattebayo!"

The three then walked in to the exam room.


	17. The Chunin Exams, Begin!

Disclaimer: This is getting old fast, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 17 – The Chunin Exams, Begin!

* * *

**Last time:**

The three just smiled or grinned at him and Naruto said what the other two were thinking. "Don't worry sensei, we won't let you down dattebayo!"

The three then walked in to the exam room.

**This Chapter:**

When the three entered, they were met with glares from the other applicants. Naruto happily glared back at the ninja as he crossed his arms with a grin on his face. _'I just wish I could activate the fox eye to scare them some more.' _He thought as looked over each genin. He noticed a large portion of the participants were leaf nin.

Sakura wasn't as happy as Naruto with the glares._ 'If the first test is about being scary then they got me beat there.' _She thought a little scared of some of the genin.

_'This is getting interesting.'_ Sasuke thought as he looked over the genin.

Naruto was still looking over the other participants when he felt it, someone was coming towards him from behind. He checked the chakra signature, it was a familiar one. He contemplated embarrassing his assailant. _'Nah, that would make me out to be an asshole.' _He thought, vetoing the idea. He just stood and waited for it to come, he had a plan for just before they hit.

The assailant skimmed a little closer to Naruto. They were just stepping carefully along the wall until they got within striking distance. Waiting for the right moment they pounced, aiming for Naruto's back and neck. The assailant would have made it too had he not turned around quickly and wrapped his arms around her instead. "Naruto-kun!" The assailant called out.

"Hey Ino, please, don't try and sneak up on me again." He said as he lowered the girl to the floor. Ino's hair was the same as in the academy, one long ponytail along with a bang covering one side of her face. She was wearing the same outfit she usually wore in the academy. A purple, sleeveless top, along with some arm warmers that looked like Sasuke's. She had her hitai-ite around her waist as a belt along with some bandages covering her stomach. She had a skirt made of the same purple material as her top with bandages covering her thighs and the usual blue sandals most ninja wore.

"Awwwh!" She groaned in disappointment as he let her go. "You don't have to let go of me Naruto-kun!" Ino said in what she thought was a seductive voice while pressing against Naruto.

Naruto started to get a slight blush as he felt Ino pressing against him. "Hey Ino-Pig! Get your mits off my Naruto-senpai!" Sakura said as she grabbed the blonde female genin and pulled her off Naruto unceremoniously.

"Your Naruto-senapi!? I don't see your name on him Forehead-girl! Besides don't you have that pale-skinned emo to go to?" Ino retorted.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the emo barb. "Sasuke is not emo!" Sakura shouted at Ino.

Ino was about to retort when a hand went over her mouth, the same happened to Sakura. "Please be quiet you two! You're drawing a lot of attention and it's not the good kind." Naruto hissed to the two as he kept them quiet. "Sakura-chan, I expected better from you!"

He pulled his hands from their mouths slowly as they looked at all the glares that were leveled at them. Sakura spoke in a low tone. "Gomen, Naruto-senpai."

"Damn, you guys are so troublesome, I swear it's like your trying to get them all to hate us." A familiar lazy genius' voice rang out to their left.

"What are you talking about Shikamaru, everything's troublesome for you." Naruto replied to the Nara. Shikamaru was still wearing his hair to make his head look like a pineapple. He still wore the jacket with his hitai-ite on the sleeve and a mesh shirt underneath. His pants were the usual dark colour and he had a kunai holster on one leg. "So your team is here too huh? Anyone else we know?"

"Yeah, Kiba and his team are around here somewhere too." Chouji replied, from Shikamaru's side. _'And Akamaru's looking good to eat' _He thought to himself drooling slightly. The 'big boned' genin was wearing his hitai-ite in a way that made it look like a pair of underwear was on his head. He had a muffler around his neck, bandages covering his arms and shins and the same blue ninja sandals. He was wearing a green jacket with an off white tee underneath that had some kanji written on it, along with brown shorts and a kunai holster on one leg.

"So the whole gang is here, this will be interesting." Naruto told the Akimichi. He looked back at Ino and Sakura who were rooted to the spot from all the glares. "Come here you two." He said as he dragged them to where he and the other members of team 7 and 10 were standing. "Don't let the stares get to you Sakura-chan." He whispered to her.

Ino had been silent since finding out about everyone staring at her but hearing Naruto talking with Sakura like that snapped her out of it. "Hey, how come your calling Forehead-girl that and not me?" She asked in a whisper and a pout.

"Tough luck Ino-pig! He just likes me more!" Sakura told the pouting girl.

"Sakura-chan don't lie. It was because you won a bet with me." Naruto scolded his teammate come apprentice. "Although it is because I have some pride in knowing most of the stuff you know comes from me." He added with a grin.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura whined slightly. This of course got a giggle from Ino.

"Would you talk to me like that if I won the same bet Naruto-kun?" Ino asked the blonde genin, suggestively.

"I guess so but first I'd have to teach you about medical jutsu." He replied, putting his hands behind his head.

"What are you ranting about now, Naruto-baka!" A familiar obnoxious voice called out. Kiba was wearing his grey jacket with dark fur lining with the hood down, some dark pants with a kunai holster on a thigh and the usual blue sandals. He also had Akamaru, his puppy plopped on the top of his head. Akamaru had white fur all over his body and brown fur on his ears.

"Oh, hey Kiba, Shino, Hinata." He replied nodding to each as he greeted the three from team 8.

"A-ano, hello, Naruto-kun." Hinata greeted him shyly, poking her index fingers together with a blush on her face. She was wearing her hitai-ite around her neck and her hair was in the same style as always, a few bangs framing her face while the back was cut short. She wore her oversized beige jacket, long dark blue pants with a kunai holster on her thigh and the usual blue ninja sandals.

Shino just nodded back to him. He was wearing his usual dark glasses and his hitai-ite was around his head. He was wearing a large and heavy looking, light green, coat along with long brown pants with a kunai holster on his thigh and the same blue sandals.

"I was just explaining to Ino why I use -chan with Sakura-chan's name." Naruto told the three.

_Flash Back Start_

It was about two weeks before the chunin exams. Sakura and Naruto were training in their usual training grounds next to a river. The frustrated growls of Sakura could be heard from next to the stream. She had some broken bones and what looked like ground up chalk. "I don't get it! How am I supposed to do this?!"

Naruto was also next to the stream getting water for his canteen and dunking his head in to cool off. "Just keep working on it Sakura and you'll get it eventually." Naruto told her when he resurfaced, he then started walking away to practice with the zanbatō again.

At Naruto's words she carried on working for near a full hour. She was holding two bones that fit together perfectly were they had been broken. Her hands had a green glow to them as she was holding the area were the break was, over the chalk and pulling some of the powder over the break with her chakra. The crack seemed to disappear after a few seconds, she pulled the bone away and the green glow died away. She stopped applying pressure to either end, which had been keeping the bone together when it was broken. She took one hand away slowly, checking if the bone could hold together, as soon as her hand left it though, the crack reappeared and the bone broke in to two pieces again. She let out another frustrated growl. "I can't waste my time on this, I'm going no where with the jutsu." Sakura yelled as she got up, leaving the scroll on the floor as she started walking away.

She didn't go far as Naruto appeared in front of her after a few steps holding the scroll. "Sakura I figured you to be a lot of things but a quitter wasn't one of them. Do you think Sasuke would quit that easily?" At her downcast expression he tried a different approach. "Is there anything that could help motivate you to learn this?" He asked her little concerned.

"What do you mean Naruto-senpai?" Sakura asked a little confused.

"I mean, why are you trying to get stronger? Why do you want to learn these jutsu?" Naruto asked again. Seeing that she was still unsure of what he meant he decided to speak again. "Listen Sakura, have you ever wondered why I carry on training? Why I carry on trying to get stronger? The answer to those questions Sakura, is pretty simple to me. I do this so I can protect you, Sasuke, Kakashi and everyone else in the village, I'm doing this, so I can be the Hokage and ensure that I protect everyone. So Sakura, I'll ask again, why are you doing this?" He asked, a determined look in his eye.

Sakura thought about it for a few seconds, her thoughts going to impressing Sasuke, getting his respect and becoming his girlfriend. Her thoughts also went to something else though, something she didn't really expect, she wanted to make Naruto proud and impress him as well. "I'm doing it so I can impress Sasuke and he'll notice me." She paused for a second and then carried on. "I want to impress you too Naruto-kun and make you proud of me." She finished.

Her last sentence surprised Naruto slightly but he didn't let it faze him. "Okay, Sakura-chan." She looked surprised for a second. "If you can get the jutsu to work by 12am tonight, I'll keep calling you Sakura-chan."

Sakura's eyes were filled with happiness and a new determination as she grabbed the scroll Naruto offered her and she ran back to the stream. She turned back for a moment to ask something to Naruto. "Naruto-senpai, why are you doing this?"

"Because Sakura, you can't get what you want all at once. For example, I have to rise up the ranks as a ninja before I can be Hokage, going up in rank is a step closer to my goal. You have to get what you want in a similar way as well, you have to go in steps. This is one of those steps, you get that jutsu down and I'll call you Sakura-chan as a sign of my pride in you. Deal?" Naruto asked, looking at her with a smile.

She smiled back and replied with a silent nod.

_Flash Back End_

"That's why I would have to teach you the basics of medical jutsu before you would have a chance Ino." He explained to everyone in the teams.

Ino was about to say something when a guy wearing a Konoha hitai-ite and some circular glasses came over to them. "Hey you may want to be a lot more quiet than that. All of you have the attention of the whole room now!" He told the nine rookie genin. They looked over and saw it was true, every pair of eyes was looking at them.

"Let 'em look!" Naruto almost yelled as he looked at the new genin. He had silver hair like Kakashi which was kept in a ponytail. He was wearing a purple shirt and pants, with a gray T-shirt underneath. He also wore a pair of fingerless gloves with plates that went up his forearms slightly and a sash over his waist.

* * *

_'Naru-kun you baka! Don't piss them off!' _Ten-ten thought nervously as she watched the blonde boy.

"Looks like he has a lot of spunk." Neji stated. "I don't think you intimidated him enough Lee." He told the green clad genin.

"He is still acting very youthful and the Uchiha seems to have recovered." Lee told his teammates. _'Naruto-kun, you were not affected by the display of my flames of youth or my sensei's. You will be my next target, after the Uchiha.' _He thought to himself.

* * *

"I wouldn't say that. You're the rookies aren't you? Fresh out of the academy? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. You've already made an impression and not a very good one." He told the nine.

They all looked again and saw a lot of the ninja smirking at them. Naruto of course sent a glare to some of them until they turned away. His eyes landed on some rain nin as did everyone else. The rain nins were looking at them like they were ready for a fight. "Hm, I don't like how they're looking at us." Sasuke stated simply.

"They're rain nin, they get very edgy during these exams. I'd watch myself around them." The silver haired genin told him.

"Okay the way everyone else is looking at us is suspicious but what about you. You're pretty suspicious as well, helping us like this." Naruto told the genin. _'What is that weird smell coming from this guy. He's got the normal human smell but there's something else as well.' _Naruto thought to himself as he cocked an eyebrow at the genin.

"Relax, I'm just trying to help my fellow Leaf nin with some insider info. I'm Yakushi Kabuto, by the way." He told the nine.

"So, this isn't the first time you've been in the exams?" Sasuke stated more than asked.

"No, this is my seventh time in the exams." His answer got some surprised looks and non verbal sounds from some in the group. "Well, they are held twice a year so this would be my fourth year." He told the nine.

"Woah, you're a veteran. You must really be an expert by now?!" Ino asked excitedly.

"I guess you could say that." He replied simply.

"Some expert, he's never passed!" Shikamaru exclaimed with as much energy as he would muster before it would be too 'troublesome'.

"Hey, seventh time's the charm, that's what they say y'know?" Kabuto replied rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"So, all the rumors about the exam being tough are true then?" Naruto asked with his arms still crossed.

"Hey, maybe I can make it easier on you, with these info cards of mine." Kabuto announced taking out a deck of cards.

"How are those supposed to help us?" Sakura asked, a little skeptical.

"These cards contain information I've gathered over the last four years. They've been chakra encoded so only I can show the information on them." He explained to the nine as he showed a blank card to them. "I have over two hundred of these cards, so you see I haven't been completely wasting my time." He told them as he took the card he had shown them and started spinning it on the ground after a few rotations there was a small billow of smoke and there was a picture on the card now.

"What good is a map!?" Kiba asked loudly, looking at the small card.

"This map shows the number of ninja that have come to take the exam. What villages they come from and how many from each village. Why do you think they all come here to take the exam at the same time?" He asked as he looked at their staring faces.

"I remember reading about these exams and their reason at one time. Wasn't it to create friendship between the nations or something like that?" Naruto asked Kabuto.

"To foster friendship Naruto-kun." Sakura corrected him.

"Exactly, international brotherhood and all that. It's true enough as far as it goes." Kabuto replied.

"But there's another reason, isn't there?" Sasuke asked in his uncaring tone of voice.

"Yes, you see this way they can carefully regulate the total number of shinobi in each village. Thereby maintaining the balance of power. If this balance isn't maintained then one village may wind up with a lot more shinobi than the others and be tempted to attack and conquer them." He explained to the nine.

"In other words these exams are to try and maintain the status quo." Shikamaru finished for him in a lazy tone.

"Yeah, makes some sense, I guess." Kabuto agreed.

"Do those cards hold info on individual ninja, like their skill levels and their sensei?" Sasuke asked the spectacled genin while glancing quickly at Naruto.

"They might, got someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked, intrigued.

"Maybe." Sasuke replied simply.

"Well I can't promise my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone." Kabuto told the Uchiha as he coded the card with the map and put it back in the deck. "Including you guys of course! So which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them, a description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all." Kabuto said as picked another card from the deck.

"I want info on three, Sabaku no Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee of Konoha and him." Sasuke finished, pointing at Naruto.

"Me? You've been my teammate all this time Sasuke and yet you still don't know much about me? I'm hurt, well and truly!" Naruto said in a sarcastic voice with a mock pout.

"That's no fun you already know their names and wanting to know about your teammate? That's a little strange. This is too easy." Kabuto said before replacing the card he was holding back in the deck and swiping his hand over the top of it. When he returned his hand he was holding three cards. "Here they are."

"Show them to me." Sasuke demanded in a cold voice.

Naruto along with Sakura and everyone else were watching Kabuto intently now. "Okay, first up is Rock Lee." Kabuto announced as he spun the card the same as before. After a few rotations there was a billow of smoke and information on Lee appeared. It contained the number of missions, levels of skill in different areas and other things. "Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Mission experience, eleven C-ranks and twenty D-ranks. His squad leader is Maito Gai, in the last year his taijutsu skills have radically improved. His other skills are pretty shaky though. He got a lot of attention as a genin last year but for some reason he chose not to participate in the chunin exam. This is his first time round, same as you guys. His teammates are Ten-ten and Hyuuga Neji."

Hinata looked nervously at the picture of her cousin. "Someone you know, Hinata?" Naruto suddenly asked her.

She looked over as a blush formed on her face from Naruto staring at her, she looked away slightly and started playing with her index fingers again and replied. "A-ano, he's my c-cousin."

_'She's actually a little cute when she does that.' _Naruto thought quickly, grinning at her. "Good to know, thanks Hinata!" He turned back to Kabuto. "I don't get how most of that info helped us though, we knew more than half of it already."

"Hey this is just general info, stuff most shinobi can know if they ask the right people. Anyway, next up we have Sabaku no Gaara." Kabuto announced as he spun the card, the info showing up after a few rotations again. "Alright, mission experience, eight C-ranks and... get this, one B-rank as a genin. There's not a lot of info on this guy but get this. He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him!"

"The dude's done a B-rank as a genin and has never even been injured!?" Shikamaru said, shocked at the facts laid before him.

_'Not one injury, huh? Does that have something to do with the weird chakra signature he has?' _Naruto thought as he stole a quick look at the aforementioned genin.

"Now the last one, Uzumaki Naruto I believe." Kabuto announced as he started spinning the card. Ino and Hinata stepped a little closer to see if they could learn anything good. "Mission experience- hey!" Kabuto shouted as Naruto snatched the card away.

"Oh, man! Couldn't you have used a more recent picture! I'm still wearing the jumpsuit here." Naruto announced as he looked at the card. "You know there's actually nothing real useful here Teme. You already know my mission experience and it's got next nothing about my skills." Naruto said as he turned the card around to show it to everyone. It was true, there were question marks over his taijutsu and ninjutsu skill levels, the genjutsu showed a low level of skill. It showed he had a lot of stamina and he knew kenjutsu, everyone knew this already though so it wasn't new. The mission experience showed he had done over fifty D-ranks and a couple of C-ranks.

There was one thing that brought a collective gasp from teams 8 and 10 though. That was the fact that Naruto's mission experience showed he had done an A-rank. "There's no way you did an A-rank, Baka. The info's gotta be messed up or something!" Kiba argued.

"No, it's true. Our first C-rank got bumped up to A-rank because we had to face off a jounin level nukenin. We all received injuries but we survived and the mission was a success." Sasuke informed the unbelieving teams.

"Yep, Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme did pretty good their first time round against a nukenin. I wasn't so lucky I got stabbed in the back a bit." Naruto told the two teams. _'Difference is, I got stabbed while taking down a small army of thugs.' _He added to himself.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun! Want me to kiss it better?" Ino immediately said in a seductive way. Nobody saw the small frown and then disappointed look on Hinata's face as her hand had been reaching for a small black container she had in her utility pouch.

"That was a while back Ino and a friend of mine healed them for me the day after anyway. Thanks for the offer though." Naruto replied with a smile. This of course caused Ino and Hinata to smile.

"It says you've got an alias, The Demon of the Leaf? How the hell do you already have an alias and how'd you get it?" Kiba yelled as he looked at the card again.

"Hm?" Naruto turned the card around again and looked at the info. "I don't know, this is the first I've heard of it even." Naruto replied. _'How the hell did this guy find out about that!? Only Haku, Kakashi and Jii-san know about that and only the guys back in wave called me that.' _He thought to himself, handing the card back to Kabuto.

"According to my info, you got it during a mission and your sensei requested it be added to your alias list." Kabuto said looking over the card.

_'That does it, this guy is too well informed!'_ Naruto thought as he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "I have a request Kabuto, do you have any info on the ninjas from the new village, Oto, I think it's called." Naruto asked with a small grin.

"Afraid not, Oto just appeared recently, it's pretty small and no one knows anything about it or its ninja, they're a mystery." Kabuto told Naruto.

* * *

"Ya hear that? He said we were small, a mystery." Zaku asked his two teammates.

"I heard." Dosu replied, dragging the sentence out in his raspy voice.

"I say, we teach this guy some manners." Kin stated in a calm tone.

"Yeah, clear some of the mystery for him, update his information, let him know that if you insult the Oto shinobi, you better be ready for the consequences!" Dosu announced in his raspy voice.

* * *

"I wouldn't worry about just them though. From the looks of things Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki and Oto have all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exam this time around." Kabuto explained as he replaced the card in the deck. "You get it? The competition is gonna be intense this year."

"So it would seem, it's almost enough to make you lose your confidence." Hinata stated in a low voice.

"What are you talkin' about Hinata? All you gotta do, is give it your all! I'm sure you're more than capable, all of us are." Naruto announced as he looked over the eight other genin. His words of encouragement eliciting a blush from Hinata.

"Ya got that right!" Kiba shouted all over the room, pumping his fist in the air, causing the whole room to look their way again.

* * *

"You ready?" Dosu asked his teammates.

"Let's do it!" Zaku replied. At that, the three vanished in a blur, heading for a certain genin.

* * *

Naruto just shook his head at the new attention. "And you call me a baka, you Baka." He then noticed the blurs heading towards the group, weaving in between the other participants. _'What are they up to? It can't be anything good but I can't risk attacking first.' _He thought as he just waited for them to make their move.

* * *

Kankuro also saw the three from Oto making a move and went to take the strange package off his back. He stopped short because of a hand held up by Gaara. He looked at his teammate and instantly put the package back, knowing not to get on Gaara's bad side.

* * *

Kiba was bopped on the head for his outburst by the nearest kunoichi, namely Ino. "You Baka! We don't need anymore attention!" She yelled.

"Are you trying to get us killed, Dog-boy?" Shikamaru asked incredulously.

"G-gomen, Kiba-kun can be a l-little over enthusiastic." Hinata apologized on Kiba's behalf.

Naruto was still watching the blurs get closer. Something bothered him though, he saw Kabuto look at the incoming blurs as well. He didn't understand why Kabuto wasn't even getting a kunai ready, he already had one of his hands on the hilt of a broadsword to defend if they attacked but Kabuto was doing nothing.

"You should keep him on a leash Hinata!" Ino told the shy Hyuuga, earning a scowl from Kiba in the process.

"You should think before you act Kiba! Honestly, think about the rest of us!" Sakura told the Inuzuka.

"Hey, I can't help it if I got all pumped up from what Naruto-baka said." Kiba returned to the pink haired kunoichi with a shrug. With that, the blurs arrived, the first one jumped up into the air, turning out to be Zaku. He produced two kunai in his left hand and threw them at Kabuto! Seeing the kunai headed his way Kabuto hopped back, skidding to a stop. When he stopped, a second blur came right up in front of him and revealed itself to be Dosu, uncovering his right arm ready to attack. There seemed to be some sort of gauntlet on his arm with severla holes in it.

_'What's up with these guys!' _Naruto thought as he watched the attack.

_'They're from Oto!'_ Kabuto thought as he saw the incoming attack. Dosu threw a swift right hook which passed right in front of Kabuto._ 'That was close!' _He thought as he looked the Oto nin in the eye.

"He's fast!" Ino exclaimed in a whisper.

_'Not as fast as me but still impressive.'_ Naruto thought to himself, a frown decorating his face. _'But something's not right.'_

_'He's almost as fast as me.'_ Sasuke thought with a smirk.

Kabuto straightened up and smiled with a confident look in his eye at the Oto nin, until his glasses broke. "Oh, I see, it was that kind of attack." Kabuto stated taking his glasses off his face calmly.

_'What the hell!!' _Naruto thought in surprise. _'There wasn't any contact, so what the hell happened!'_

"No way! I saw him dodge the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke asked out loud.

"Must have come closer than it looked." Shikamaru stated lazily. "Cht! Look at him act like it was nothing, real tough guy!"

"No, there was something else there, there has to be, and it doesn't end with broken glasses." Naruto stated calmly, narrowing his eyes. After a couple more seconds, it happened, Kabuto suddenly doubled over, shivering and shaking as he fell, throwing up on the floor.

"Kabuto what's wrong? What is it?" Asked Sakura as she went over to him and started running a glowing hand over him. Everyone in the room was now looking at the silver haired genin throw up.

Naruto walked over slowly and placed a hand on Kabuto's shoulder. _'He may be acting suspicious but he's still a shinobi of Konoha!' _He thought as he looked at Kabuto shiver slightly. "What's up with him Sakura?" He asked, looking up at her expectantly.

"I'm not sure, it's like his body just felt disorientated or something and reacted to it." She replied with a worried look.

"I'll be fine." Kabuto gasped as he got over the effects of the attack.

_'Disorientation? How could they have done that? Does it have something to do with the gauntlet?' _Naruto thought quickly, going over the attack in his mind.

"Not such a tough guy after all, I guess that's why he was on his seventh try." Dosu stated as he looked down on the three.

"Write this on your little card punk! The genin from Oto are gonna be chunin when this is all over guaranteed!" Zaku spat at Kabuto.

Naruto glared back at the three from Oto. "You know it's bad luck to attack a shinobi in his home village. You never know when their friends might come along to defend them." Naruto stated calmly as he narrowed his eyes at the three.

"Is that a threat, Chibi?" Zaku asked Naruto in a mocking tone.

The chibi remark caused a small vein to throb on Naruto's temple. "You should also learn not to mock the shinobi of Konoha. Right now, the only thing keeping me from attacking you is the chance of my team being disqualified. So, watch your back when we get to the fighting part because you're gonna be my target!" Naruto Exclaimed as he glared at the Oto nin.

"Big words for a small ninja. Don't let that stop you, come on, attack me." Zaku taunted as he pulled out another couple of kunai.

Naruto was on the verge of attacking now, his hand was tightened in a fist and he was about to take a step forward when Ino and Sakura grabbed his arms and shoulders. The looks he got from them forced him to calm down. "Fine, I won't attack him... yet." Naruto said so the two would let go of him.

"Hn. You let a couple of kunoichi stop you? What are they your fan club or something?" Zaku taunted again.

Naruto chuckled. "At least I look good enough to have a fan club. You don't look like you could attract a dog with a steak!"

Zaku had murder in his eyes when Naruto finished his insult. "You little punk!" He hurled his kunai at Naruto and it looked like they were going to hit but when they landed, they were no where near Naruto. Everyone heard the kunai hit something but they couldn't see the weapons.

Everyone was looking around the room trying to find the kunai. Naruto chuckled lightly as he saw everyone look around. He pointed to a spot directly above his head. Everyone followed his gesture and saw the two kunai lodged directly above his head. "Next time, your gonna have to do better than that." Naruto told Zaku.

* * *

"What went on with that attack and what did that blonde genin do?" Neji asked to his teammates.

"There was more to it than speed alone, some kind of trick." Lee stated as he kept his eyes on the three Oto nin. "Naruto-kun on the other hand, was pure speed."

"Naruto-kun always was unpredictable." Ten-ten told her teammates.

* * *

A large explosion with a lot of smoke occurred at the front of the classroom as Zaku addressed Naruto. "I'll make you pay for that in the fights"

"Lookin' forward to it." Naruto replied, he then turned to the front of the classroom to see what was happening.

"ALRIGHT YOU SNOT-NOSED PUNKS! SHUT UP AND LISTEN UP!" A deep, gravelly voice sounded from the front of the room. The smoke cleared showing a tall, hard looking man surrounded by Konoha shinobi. All of them were wearing the same uniform. Even though they all wore the same uniform, Naruto still found Haku in the group, he was about to wave when the man spoke up again. "It's time to start the first exam and I'll be your first proctor, Morino Ibiki. Also known as, your worst nightmare!" The man known as Ibiki announced from the front of the room.

He had a couple of scars going down his face and wore his hitai-ite as a bandana over his head. He had a large black trench coat which reached down to his ankles and a grey uniform underneath along with blue gloves with metal plates on them.

"First off! You candidates from Oto, knock it off! Who told you, you could fight? You wanna fail before we've even begun?" Ibiki shouted at the Oto nin.

Dosu looked back at Ibiki, not showing any emotion as he replied. "Gomen, it's our first time, guess we're a bit jumpy... sir."

Ibiki smirked at the Oto nin's reply and then looked back at the crowd. "I'll say this only once, so listen up, there will be no fighting between candidates, no attacking each other without permission from your proctor and even then the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it!" Ibiki told the crowd in a commanding tone.

One of the Oto nins, Zaku, scoffed at Ibiki's rules. "No fatal force? That's no fun." He said out loud.

This produced some chuckles from the proctors around Ibiki. "Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed with the first part of the exam. Hand in your paperwork, in return you'll each be given a number which corresponds to where you're sitting. We'll start the written test when you're all seated." Ibiki informed the candidates.

"A written test?" Naruto asked out loud. This caused a proctor to smirk as he brought up a pile of the test papers. "Awh, kuso! Written tests are so BORING!" Naruto yelled.

Naruto had turned in his paperwork with Sakura and Sasuke and then headed toward Haku who had sat down in a chair at the edge of the room. "Hey there Haku! How have things been going?" He asked in his usual happy way.

"I've been good, arigatou, Naruto. You were right, I made some friends during my missions as a chunin. I have to thank you again for giving me this chance to restart my life here." Haku told Naruto in a slightly chipper voice, smiling at his first friend.

"Glad to hear it. Made any girlfriends?" Naruto asked in a teasing way, jabbing Haku in the ribs slightly. Haku suddenly got a light blush on his face at Naruto's question. Naruto chuckled lightly at Haku's reaction. "I knew you'd like the girls here in Konoha, so who's the girl, do I know her?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Uh, um. Probably not Naruto, she's a chunin I worked with on a couple of missions, her name is Kimura Kiku. She's quite... nice." Haku replied sheepishly.

"Have you... asked her out yet?" Naruto asked mischievously, causing Haku to blush a deeper red.

"N-not yet but I plan to, soon." Haku answered turning away trying to hide his blush.

_'So he really likes her.' _Naruto thought as he smiled one of his confident and serious smiles. "Go for it, Haku. You never know, she may be the one for you and you may end up marrying her." Naruto said, placing a hand on Haku's shoulder, trying to imbue confidence in his friend.

Haku turned back with a smile. "Arigatou, Naruto. Good luck to you in the test, you're going to need it if you're sitting in my row." Haku told the blonde genin with a grin.

"Big words Haku but I'm gonna ace this test. I'll see ya round, I need to get to my seat before I hold the whole test up. Try and get rid of as many teams as possible to make it easier for me could ya?" Naruto replied with a confident grin before walking quickly to his seat.

* * *

Everyone had taken their seats in the classroom now. Naruto had gotten number 53, he was sitting between Hinata and some other Konoha genin he didn't know. He'd had to remove the swords and place them on the bench in between him and Hinata to be comfortable. He glanced quickly around the room and saw all the proctors around the room. They all had a clipboard and a pencil and they all had a confident look in their eyes. Naruto's attention was quickly directed to his right as Hinata addressed him. "A-ano, Naruto-kun?" She asked shyly.

"Hai, Hinata?" Naruto asked back, turning to look at her with a smile.

"I-I wanted to w-wish you, g-good luck in the test." Hinata stuttered back her reply, a slight blush adorning her cheeks.

"Arigatou, Hinata, good luck to you too!" Naruto said as he nodded to her and then turned back to face front.

Ibiki tapped the blackboard with a stick of chalk. "Alright, everyone, eyes front! There are a few rules you need to be aware of and I won't answer any questions. So you better pay attention the first time around!" He told the whole class.

_'No questions? What's up with that?' _Sakura thought as she watched the examiner write something out on the blackboard.

"Alright, rule number one is this! Contrary to what some of you are used to, you all start off with a perfect score of ten points. The written test is ten questions long with each question worth one point. For every question you get wrong one point will be deducted from your score." Ibiki looked over the candidates quickly once he finished writing. "For example, if you answer all but three questions correctly you will have a final score of seven."

_'Yeah and if I answer none correctly, my final score will be zero!' _Naruto thought sarcastically as he leaned his head on his right hand, his elbow resting on the desk in front of him.

"Rule number two, wether you pass or fail depends on the total score of all three members of your team." Ibiki informed the whole class of candidates.

Everyone got a serious look at that bit of information. _'Back in the academy I might have been worried about Naruto-kun in this test but he and Sasuke-kun should be okay.' _Sakura thought to herself as she looked at Naruto, sitting a few rows in front of her.

"Rule number three, the sentinels positioned around the room are there to watch closely for any signs of cheating. And every time they catch you cheating, two points will be subtracted from your score.

There were a few 'What?'s and 'Huh?'s from around the room after Ibiki said that. Once they were quiet again he spoke up.

"I have a word of warning for all of you, the sentinels eyes are extremely sharp. Also, if they spot you cheating five times, you'll be disqualified before the tests are even scored." Ibiki warned everyone in the room.

_'Only two points? What's up with that? Back at the academy we'd be failed on the spot for being caught cheating.' _Naruto thought as he glanced at the sentinel watching over the row he was in.

"Anyone stupid enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here." Ibiki told everyone.

One of the sentinels decided to spook the candidates a little. "I've got my eye on you guys." He told the first two in his row, getting a flinch out of the two.

"If you want to be chunin, then show us what excellent ninja you can be." Ibiki announced to the whole class. "One more thing before you begin, if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test..." Ibiki broke into a sadistic grin. "Then the entire team fails." He finished on a dark tone.

_'No problem, as long as the Dobe gets one question right we'll be fine. He should be capable enough of doing that.' _Sasuke thought as he confidently stared at Ibiki.

"The tenth question will not be given out until 45 minutes after the start of the exam. You'll have one hour total." Ibiki waited a couple of seconds for the clock to read exactly 3:30 and... "BEGIN!" He shouted the command to all the genin.

There was a flurry of sound as almost everyone turned the papers over quickly. Naruto on the other hand turned his paper over slowly, his head still resting on his hand. _'Let's see what kind of boring things we have to answer.' _He looked over the paper slowly and he realized something about the questions.

_'Each of these questions is harder than the last! These are integrated problems based on principles of uncertainty and requiring complex mechanical energy analyses, incredibly advanced stuff! Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun don't have a hope in hell of solving any of these.' _Sakura looked up at Naruto's back again._ 'To be honest, there can't be more than a handful of people besides me who even understand it!' _She thought a little panicked.

* * *

_'Something's up with these questions, the code breaker I could do in my sleep but the rest are all gibberish. They all need some sort of math to work out and I hate math, I only learned the basics!' _Naruto's eyes were darting from one question to the next. _'There's no way a genin could answer most of these, Sakura's got a brain on her but something tells me even she would have trouble with some of these things.'_

Naruto put the paper down and did the first question quickly, a simple code breaker question. The hidden message was something to do with how the Yondime helped in the third great ninja war. _'That's kinda ironic but I don't have time to think about that. The thing is, is one point good enough to pass? I can't risk it I've gotta try and find out the other answers but how?' _Naruto thought frustratingly, he tried not to show his frustration as he kept his head leaning in his hand.

_**'Remember the ninja saying, Kit, look underneath the underneath.' **_Kyuubi mused as he watched the whole proceeding through Naruto's eyes.

* * *

_'That's interesting, I can't begin to understand a single one of these problems.' _Sasuke thought grudgingly.

**

* * *

**_'Underneath the underneath? What are you talki- Wait a minute!' _Naruto suddenly sat bolt upright his eyes wide. _'Could it really be that simple?_

_'I need a high score to get through but these questions are so hard! I'm almost tempted to... No! I can't do that! It's almost like they're trying to get us to cheat.' _Sakura looked up from her paper. _'I just hope Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun don't fall for it. No, they would never do that. They're both good ninja they can do it.' _She thought confidently as she returned to the questions.

_'It would make sense, they're focusing more about cheating than about the test itself.' _Naruto thought as he looked at the sentinels again. _'The sentinels are trying to catch our every move, trying to catch us cheating.'_

Sasuke was also looking at a sentinel as he was writing something down. _'Someone just got caught.' _Sasuke turned back to his paper. _'That's also bothering me, why do they only deduct two points? We failed on the spot if we were caught cheating back at the academy. It just doesn't make sense.' _Sasuke thought, just then it hit him, just as it hit Naruto.

They were both going over the same thing in their head, what the proctor, Ibiki, had said before the exam started. They both saw his face clearly as he had said those things.

_View Of Minds Eye_

"_Anyone stupid enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here." Ibiki told everyone._

The image then sped forward a little to something else Ibiki had said.

"_If you want to be chunin, then show us what excellent ninja you can be." Ibiki announced to the whole class._

_End View Of Minds Eye_

_'That's it!' _They both thought in unison. _'It's about more than the written exam! It's to test our ability to gather information. Only exceptional shinobi could do that under these conditions.' _At this point Sasuke's thought branched away from Naruto's.

_'It explains everything, the eagle eyed sentinels, the difficult questions, the fact that only two points are lost if you're found cheating. Very clever, he's not only expecting us to cheat he's daring us to.' _Sasuke thought as he looked around the room quickly again. _'The next question is... who has all the answers?' _Thought the young Uchiha.

* * *

_'It makes complete sense, after all, if they were really all that adamant about us not cheating they would have brought in some Hyuuga with the Byakugan. They would have been better than these guys at spotting cheaters.' _Naruto looked about and noticed almost everyone he could see without looking behind him, had caught on to this little fact and were cheating to their hearts content. Some were obviously more discreet than others, now that he tried to sense it, he could feel some candidates using their chakra for techniques of some kind.

_'Okay, so how do I find these answers now?' _Naruto thought as he went through everything he knew that may or may not be useful for this purpose. He almost grabbed his head in frustration at one point because of the things he knew. _'Dammit! I'm a ninja trained for combat not book smarts and info gathering like this!'_Everybody who couldn't figure out the answers on their own were now cheating in some way or form. Sasuke was staring at the candidate in front of him as he was writing out answers. _'Sharingan!' _He thought clearly in his mind as his sharingan appeared._ 'I'll try and imitate the movements of his pen and copy his answers.'_ Sasuke started copying the candidates every hand movement. _'I hit the jackpot with this guy. Gotta hand it to Naruto, training with his clones has made it a lot easier to control my Sharingan.' _He thought as he continued writing the answers.

* * *

Neji was also staring at the candidate in front of him. _'BYAKUGAN!' _He thought as clearly as possible, activating his Kekkei Genkai without the help of the usual hand seals. His vision became infinitely clearer and he was now looking through the person in front of him as he started copying down the answers.

* * *

Kiba had Akamaru on his head, looking over the heads of the other candidates to find the answers for his master. Akamaru barked lightly as he tried to relay the answer he had found as clearly as possible. _"Good boy! That'll do it. Okay now for number four." _Kiba whispered to his canine companion. Akamaru gave a bark of acknowledgement and went back to looking for answers.

* * *

Dosu, one of the nin from Oto was currently listening in on the candidate behind him. _'Judging from the rhythm, the duration and the frequency of the strokes, yes I see.' _He thought in content as he had figured out the answer from the candidate behind him.

* * *

A bug was one candidates desk as he wrote his answer. The candidate noticed it and batted it away, the fly flew straight for Shino's outstretched finger after the attempted batting. _'Well, show me.' _Shino asked the insect through his mind. It flew off Shino's finger and started flying about in a figure of eight just over Shino's paper. _'Eight, of course.' _Shino thought as he wrote the answer down.

* * *

Ten-ten had placed some wire on adjustable mirrors on the ceiling to read the answers of the other genin. She stopped her writing momentarily as she flexed her hand, in effect, moving the mirror's position. _'Lee when you can see the answers adjust your hitai-ite.' _She thought to herself, waiting for her teammates signal. Lee, who was a few seats in front of her, noticed the mirror's movement and quickly tightened the hitai-ite around his head when he could see the person's answers clearly.

* * *

Ino looked at the back of her former friend as she was writing the answers. _'Look at her she's cranking through this thing! I'll admit you've got a brain to match that forehead of yours. Now to put it to work for me!' _Ino brought her hands up in a seal. _'You oughta be flattered girl, I don't use my Shintenshin no Jutsu on just anyone.' _Ino thought as she formed a final seal and aimed her jutsu at Sakura. Ino's body slumped as the jutsu took effect.

_'Looks like Ino is finally making some use of her jutsu.' _Shikamaru thought lazily as he felt his teammates chakra spike.

Her mind now woke up in Sakura's body. _'Thanks Sakura, for letting me hang out in your soul for a while, even if it is a little cramped.' _Ino thought as she picked up Sakura's test paper._ 'Now to memorize these answers so I can pass them on to Chouji and Shikamaru._

* * *

_'Look at this one, cool as a cucumber, not bad, for a novice.' _Ibiki thought as he looked at Gaara, who was doing something with his sand. It was gathering under his hand as he held one eyelid closed.

He lifted his hand to reveal an eyeball made of sand. _'Daisan no Me, a third eye, invisibly linked to the optic nerve.'_ He crushed the sand eyeball in his hand and it scattered the sand, going into the eyes of some candidates, forcing them to close their eyes. The eyeball reformed and looked over that candidates paper.

_'Looks like Gaara has figured it out, well, Crow, I'm counting on you now.' _Kankuro thought as he watched his teammate. Kankuro did something a bit more classic as a way to cheat, he asked to use the bathroom. He was lead away by one of the sentinels who had tied his hands to guide him. _'These sentinels aren't all that eagle eyed if they didn't notice that there was one extra of them.' _He thought gleefully as he was lead away.

* * *

_'So what have I got? Shadow clones, I could send them off to find out the answers and give em back to me through dispelling them, if I can be sure of where they'll appear. It would be the safest by far, since there wouldn't be any evidence in the room.' _Naruto thought as he looked around._ 'I could try the Kitsune Boushi no Jutsu and use the clearer peripheral vision to copy the answers from Hinata or this other guy next to me, then again the sentinels would see me using hand seals and look closely at me. I can't activate them with Kyu-sensei's chakra either, that would draw a lot of attention from the sheer force of the chakra. Even a little bit of Kyu-sensei's youki can easily be sensed. Seals, I might be able to use a seal to copy what Hinata and these other two are writing through the feel of it on the table, like the seal on my door that lets me 'feel' when somebody is knocking on it if I'm at the compound. If I choose that, then I'll have to do it quickly before they finish. Whatever I do, I've gotta act fast!' _Naruto thought hurriedly.

He was brought from his thoughts as Hinata addressed him. _"Ano, Naruto-kun? If you want I could show you my answers?" _She explained in a whisper so as not to alert those around her.

Naruto looked at her incredulously. _'She's willing to chance getting caught to help me? Could be a trap to give me the wrong answers. No, Hinata isn't the kind of person to do that, she's too kind hearted. Unless that's a mask but maybe I'm going to deep into it with that. Maybe I should just ask her for her reasons? Might as well give it a try.' _He thought quickly as he looked at her. _"Ne, Hinata, why would you do that for me?" _He whispered to her.

Hinata wasn't sure how to answer and it showed in the way she started playing around with her pencil and the blush that decorated her cheeks. _"Well, um, it's just I don't want you to leave." _Naruto just looked at her expectantly which caused her blush to deepen as she realized how it sounded. _"I mean, I thought it would be good if we all got through this, you know all nine of us. Being rookies puts us at a disadvantage." _She whispered back.

_'Sounds just like her but I can't risk it, she may get caught if I she tries to help me. I'll need to find another way.' _He looked at Hinata. _"Thanks for the offer Hinata but I can't risk both of us getting caught, neither of us would get to go on if if we're both caught. I couldn't go on with this if I knew you were at risk." _Naruto whispered back.

_'He cares!' _Hinata thought wide eye'd. _"You're right it was a stupid idea, I'm sorry I even thought of it." _Hinata mumbled back her reply.

"_Don't say that Hinata, it's not a stupid idea, it's just not the best right now." _Naruto whispered back, he grinned at her. _"Don't worry, I'll find a way." _He assured her, he received a nod from Hinata. As he turned back to his paper, he saw a kunai headed in his general direction but resisted the urge to catch it. His choice was the right one as the kunai flew past his face and embedded itself in the desk behind him, he also heard the surprised yelp of the candidate behind him. He allowed a frown to decorate his face as he looked at the sentinel that had thrown the weapon.

The candidate behind him got up and addressed the sentinel. "What was that all about?!" He asked nervously.

"Five strikes and you're out. You just failed the test." The sentinel informed him calmly.

"What!? That can't be!" The candidate whimpered loudly.

The sentinel ignored his whimper. "You and your teammates will leave the room immediately." The sentinel ordered, while pointing a finger at the candidate. Two other genin got up reluctantly and started walking out, the candidate from behind Naruto soon followed. That team was the first of many to be disqualified for cheating in the test.

Naruto watched as the team left. _'Okay, if I wanna pass I have to go through with one of my plans and it has to be now! I've already wasted enough time.' _He started memorizing the questions as he settled on his plan. _'Guess this is the best chance I have right now, I just have to take my time in acting the plan out and it should go without a hitch.' _He stopped memorizing and got ready to put the plan into action. _'Now or never, all or nothing, I guess. I just hope I don't screw this up.'_

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
Well, hope you guys like this chapter. I got a nice review from a reader a little while before I finished this chapter and I'd just like to say thank you!

I also just want to say something about this story. I'm writing this story as if it's a person who has never seen the Naruto anime or manga that's reading it. That's why I'm putting in the descriptions of characters most of you already know. Plus, it's pretty good practice for descriptive writing.


	18. The Forest of Death?

Disclaimer: I've said it seventeen times and I'll say it again, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 18 – The Forest of Death?

* * *

**Last time:**

Naruto watched as the team left. _'Okay, if I wanna pass I have to go through with one of my plans and it has to be now! I've already wasted enough time.'_ He started memorizing the questions as he settled on his plan. _'Guess this is the best chance I have right now, I just have to take my time in acting the plan out and it should go without a hitch.'_ He stopped memorizing and got ready to put the plan into action._ 'Now or never, all or nothing, I guess. I just hope I don't screw this up.'_

**This Chapter:**

"It's amazing just how boring things are without the genin around." Kakashi thought out loud as he leaned back into the couch and looked at the ceiling.

"Chances are you'll be seeing them again soon, so I wouldn't get too comfortable." A man with a beard, smoking a cigarette told him, across from where he was sitting.

"Why are you saying that, Asuma?" Kakashi asked lazily not taking his eyes off the ceiling. The man known as Asuma was a hardy looking man, obviously built for heavy hand to hand combat from his size. He wore his hitai-ite around his head, as most ninja do, the hitai-ite in turn held his dark hair out of his eyes, forcing it back. For the most part he wore almost exactly the same thing Kakashi wore, blue pants, blue sweater with a red swirl on each shoulder and a jounin vest over it, along with the usual blue sandals. The differences were pretty minor, he did not wear gloves like Kakashi, he kept his hands bear, he had a bracelet around one wrist and bandages around each bicep area, he also had a piece of light blue cloth with a kanji for fire on it held from his waist.

"It's because of their first examiner, Morino Ibiki." Asuma replied, dragging out Ibiki's name.

_'Ibiki huh? I doubt he'll have much of an effect on Naruto or Sasuke from what they've been through. Sakura on the other hand, she hasn't had the kind of life those two have had. She might crack under the pressure.' _Kakashi thought to himself, worried. "Great. Sticking them with that sadist, right off the bat no less." Kakashi said sarcastically.

"What sadist?" A feminine voice asked the the two.

Asuma chuckled lightly. "I forgot you're a new jounin, Kurenai. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to ask that." He told the jounin kunoichi. She was a beautiful woman, with enchanting red eyes, she had dark, long hair with a few strands curling out of the normal flow here and there. She, like Asuma, had her hitai-ite around her head. Unlike the other two shinobi in the room, her uniform was out of the norm, she wore some sort of dress that appeared to be made out lengths of fabric that had simply bee draped over her. It could be seen that she wore a steel mesh shirt underneath the 'wrappings' and she had a sleeve of red fabric covering her right arm. Both of her knuckles and forearms were wrapped in bandages as were the tops of her thighs, she also wore a pair of black ninja sandals.

"So I'm ignorant, who is he?" Kurenai asked without missing a beat.

"He's what you might call... a specialist." Kakashi answered shadily.

"Oh yeah? In what?" She asked after a small pause.

Asuma took a drag of his cigarette before answering. He turned to her with a mischievous look in his eye. "Interrogation, torture." He said simply as her eyes widened slightly and her mouth opened slightly in a 'huh?' gesture. "Oh, of course he won't be using physical torture during the test, he won't need to. That's not his thing anyway. He works on peoples minds not their bodies, he's famous for it. Everyone knows about the head of the ANBU torture and interrogation core for Konoha, Morino Ibiki." Asuma finished.

Kurenai looked away for a moment. _'Will Hinata-chan be able to stand that kind of thing? She's never been very confident since her mother died. I just hope there's something other than the mental torture she can focus on.' _Kurenai thought as she looked out the window of the jounin lounge she, Asuma and Kakashi were currently in. Little did Kurenai know, Hinata had the perfect thing to focus on in the exam.

* * *

The genin slid to the floor when the chunin took his forearm away from the genin's throat. He apparently thought the sentinel's were just picking people at random. He left without a word when he picked himself up from the floor. His teammates soon followed. Several more candidates were sent from the room. He heard his henged clone calling out, in Haku's voice, a few numbers among the other sentinels voices. Naruto didn't care much about the teams that were failing. If they weren't good enough to not get caught that was their problem.

_'Come on, come on!' _Naruto thought hurriedly. A half hour had been since the start of the exam now. Naruto was still sitting patiently in his seat, only one question answered on his paper. _'COME ON! Where are the answers! How long does it take to figure out the calculations when there's at least three of me working on it with notes to help. What about the other guys? How long does it take to henge then use kawarimi over and over again?! It doesn't even have to be all ten an-' _His thoughts were stopped abruptly as new information appeared in his mind.

* * *

A few moments ago Naruto had decided on his plan, deciding it would gain the most answers at the least risk. He had memorized the questions and kept them at the front of his mind as he had formed the hand seal under the desk and summoned some shadow clones in the room directly below the one the exam was in. When he thought of some though, it was more along the lines of thirty, three or four for each question.

As for why he'd summoned them in the room directly below the exam room. He'd done that because that was the closest place in regards to distance, where better than right under your feet? He'd planned on using some to answer the questions by themselves and then relay the answer to him through dispelling themselves. While he had others stay in the room underneath and then henge into a sentinel and use kawarimi to swap places with said sentinel. Sadly, the only sentinel he knew he could henge perfectly was Haku. This meant his clones had to knock out Haku as soon as the kawarimi was used.

Once a clone was in position it would memorize an answer it could see and perform the kawarimi again with another henged clone. Once it was back in the room underneath the exam it would dispel itself which would send the memorized answer back to Naruto. One problem that Naruto hadn't figured out was how to get Haku back into the exam room without anyone noticing his unconscious state.

* * *

Naruto copied down the answer quickly and waited for the next one. _'Finally, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get any more answers done there.' _Another answer came a few minutes later from another one of the henged clones. Next he got an answer from one of the clones that had been figuring out the answer for the simpler calculations. Another ten minutes of receiving the answers and Naruto had answered all of the questions on the paper, he still had one last question about his tactics, though.

_'I just need to wait for the tenth question. What about Haku? I can't just leave him downstairs and I can't leave a henged clone in his seat.'_ Naruto put his pencil down for a moment as he thought of what to do. _'Okay, I got it.' _Naruto formed the hand seal again under the desk as he summoned a clone with the plan he had thought up in the room below them.

* * *

The clone shimmered into existence among a group of more clones that were watching over an unconscious Haku. "Hey, the real one has a plan to put Haku back in place. Once it's done we have to dispel ourselves." He informed the group, to which he received a nod from all. "Okay, since I have the most chakra I'm gonna be acting out the plan."

The clone walked over to Haku as a purple glow emanated from both of it's hands. He gently placed one hand on Haku's throat and another at the back of Haku's neck, it almost seemed like he was strangling the ice user. The symbols flowing over his hands moved quickly onto Haku's skin glowed for a few seconds and then disappeared. The glow on his hands soon died down as well and he removed them from Haku, who now had both eyes open. "Haku, I know you can hear me. Don't try to speak, I've used a silencing and a petrification seal on you. You won't be able to move but your posture can be changed. I'm gonna put you back in your seat in the exam room now and I'll release you when the exam is over. Hope you don't mind me using you to get the answers." Naruto asked with a grin.

The new clone turned to an older clone. "You, henge into Haku and kawarimi with the current clone up top. As soon as you've done that, kawarimi with the real Haku and then we'll all dispel ourselves got it?" The clone nodded and did as the new clone ordered.

* * *

Ibiki was staring intently at who he thought was Haku, as were a few of the other sentinels. They had all felt the chakra spikes that were coming from his position. What they didn't understand was who was causing it. There had been a total of six chakra spikes so far and none of the sentinels could understand what was going on. All they could see was Haku staring at the candidates in his row, which weren't many thanks to his sharp eyes.

_'What the hell is going on here? Why are there chakra spikes coming from him? Is he helping someone in the test?' _Ibiki's thoughts paused momentarily as two more chakra spikes came from Haku's spot. _'There it goes again. Doesn't matter, I can't do anything about it now. Now that most of the hopeless cases are gone, it's time for the main event!' _Ibiki thought, almost gleefully.

* * *

_'Alright, Haku has been taken care of. All that's left is the tenth question. Seeing as their holding it off until the last fifteen minutes, it can only mean one thing. It's gonna be an incredibly difficult and strange question.' _Naruto thought as he looked about the room. Not many of the candidates were left, at least a third of the original number was gone. From Hinata being next to him and Shikamaru being a few rows in front of him, he knew the whole of the rookie nine were still in the exam. Now he was wondering how Sasuke and Sakura had done, if he was right they had probably done fine.

"Alright, listen up! The forty-five minutes are done. I will now give out the tenth and final question." Ibiki announced to the whole room.

_'Finally, this test is almost over.' _Naruto thought as he settled his gaze on Ibiki.

_'Just give it to us already.' _Sasuke thought as he just stared at the examiner.

_'Okay, the final obstacle.' _Sakura thought as she furrowed her brow in anticipation.

There was one other stray thought from a certain kunoichi. _'Hurry up Kankuro! Their about to give out the tenth question and your cheat sheet isn't gonna do much good if you miss it.' _Temari thought as she looked nervously at Ibiki.

"Before I give you the question, there are a few more rules that come in to play at this point." Ibiki informed the candidates. At that moment the door opened and Kankuro walked in, closely followed by the sentinel that had escorted him.

Kankuro looked over the room. "Huh?" He went dumbly.

"Lucky you, you made it just in time. I hope playing with dolls was worth your time away?" Ibiki asked the suna nin.

_'Kuso! He's seen through Crow's disguise! He's on to us!' _Kankuro thought, panicking slightly.

"Well? Take your seat!" Ibiki said forcefully, so he could carry on with the rules. Kankuro walked quickly to his seat. As he passed Temari's seating position he dropped a miniscule paper capsule, which, no doubt were the rolled up cheat sheets.

As soon as Kankuro sat down, Ibiki addressed the crowd again. "These rules are unique to the tenth question. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you." He said as he walked over to face a window and gave the candidates a side-long look.

_'Could they really be that scary?' _Sakura thought disbelievingly.

_'I doubt they can be much scarier than what I've seen!' _Both Naruto and Sasuke thought at the same time.

"Very well, rule number one, each of you is free to choose not to be given the tenth question. It's your decision." Ibiki informed them.

This revelation brought a few wide-eyed looks. _'Free...' _Naruto started thinking.

_'...to choose?' _Sasuke finished.

"Woah, wait a second! What if we decide not to take this question? What happens then?" Temari asked loudly.

"Yeah, what happens to our points?" Sakura asked as well.

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, then you lose all the points. Regardless of the answers to the other nine. In other words, not taking the tenth question ends in failure and in effect, both of your teammates' failure as well." Ibiki said with a small grin.

The room erupted in whispers, things such as, 'Who would choose to fail?' and 'Some choice!'. Hearing all of these whispers, Ibiki lowered his head, trying to block out the annoying sound.

"Not so fast. You didn't let me finish." Ibiki informed them calmly as his eyelids were closed.

_'Come on! More rules!? What are you? A rule making machine? Enough of it already!' _Sakura thought angrily.

"If you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly. Not only do you fail this test but... YOU WILL BE BARRED FROM TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAMS EVER AGAIN!" Ibiki yelled as he got his desired reaction. Wide-eyed stares that contained fear, panic and indecisiveness.

"THAT'S BULL! RIDICULOUS! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT RULE IS THAT!? There are lots of people here who have taken the test before!" Kiba shouted with a few barks of agreement from Akamaru.

Ibiki chuckled lightly. "Too bad for you. I wasn't making the rules before, but now I am. Of course, if you don't want to take the question... you don't have to." That proclamation caused Kiba to fidget a bit. "If you don't feel confident... then skip it! You could come back and try again next year." Ibiki informed the teams as he started laughing wholeheartedly.

_'So, we either give up and try another time, or we face it head on and IF we screw up we never get another chance. Sounds like a challenge to me but I wonder if Sakura is up to it?' _Naruto thought as he looked back at his teammate. He then turned back to Ibiki with a glare. _'A cruel decision from a cruel person.'_

_'We choose not to take it and we fail. Accept it and if anyone of us screws up in this, then we don't get another chance. This stinks! This is such an unfair choice! Why couldn't this just be a normal test?' _Sakura thought as she tried to figure out what to do.

"This is it, your final chance! Those who do not wish to take the final question, raise your hand! Your number will be recorded and then you can go free." Ibiki leveled a serious gaze at all the candidates.

_'This is a challenge for the whole team! There's no way we're backing down! Our team never gives up!' _Naruto thought confidently as he tightened his fists.

_'We're getting through this. Sakura can answer just about any question and Naruto may be a dobe but he's a reliable dobe.' _Sasuke thought sternly as he stared at Ibiki.

_'Naruto-kun wouldn't want me to give up, but what if I can't do it, what if I screw up? Or what if Sasuke-kun gets it wrong or Naruto-kun? Then he won't be able to take the exams ever again and he won't ever get a step closer to being Hokage. I can't take that away from him. Please Naruto-senpai, think about yourself this once, put your hand up. Don't risk your chance at becoming Hokage.' _Sakura thought desperately as she stared at Naruto's back. He had his hands balled up into fists on the desk in front of him.

Her prayers were near answered when the genin next to Naruto put his hand up and muttered apologies to his teammates. Their numbers were called out by one of the sentinels and they were told to leave the room. He left along with his teammates, shoulders hunched as they went through the doors. After this initial choice of failure, many more hands shot up from the candidates. Their numbers were dwindling down to about half the original amount now.

Naruto watched as the teams quit, left, right and center. _'This sucks! Their all giving up so easily! What is up with these guys!' _He thought angrily as his fists started shaking from the anger. _'If they're willing to give up this easily on a simple test like this they have no right to be chunin anyway! I'm not going anywhere! Me, Sakura and Sasuke will pass this test!' _He thought with a strong resolve.

_'Naruto-senpai, you're not going to raise your hand are you? You don't want to let Kakashi-sensei down by quitting and you don't want us to lose our chances either. You really don't give up do you? You want to be Hokage so badly don't you?' _Sakura thought as she looked Naruto's way. _'I can't let you lose your chance at getting a step closer to your dream Naruto-senpai. If any one of us fails then you'll lose your chance to go up a step. Sorry senpai, but I'm doing this so you don't lose your chance.' _Sakura thought as she started to raise her hand meekly but stopped at what she saw a few rows in front of her.

Naruto had, had it, he'd seen two more hands about to go up when he did what he did. One hand belonged to a genin a few rows ahead of him. While the second hand belonged to the genin next to him, Hinata. He'd seen her hand twitching, ready to go up. That just sent him over the edge, he had raised his hand.

* * *

Back at the lounge were Asuma, Kakashi and Kurenai were sitting, Asuma was explaining Ibiki's torture methods. "You see, he's a master of psychological torture. He knows how the human mind works, he knows just where to probe to get your weaknesses. He doesn't use physical torture for the simple fact that, he doesn't need to. He messes up your head so badly, you end up torturing yourself." Asuma finished as he brought his cigarette back to his mouth.

* * *

Naruto's other hand was still tightened into a fist on the desk, most of his body shaking slightly and his eyes closed. After a moment his eyes snapped open and his raised hand balled up into a fist. He brought his fist down hard onto the desk a small crater of splinters rising around his fist and a loud 'CRACK' sounding through the room. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" Naruto shouted to the ANBU head. He rose to his feet. "Me and my friends don't quit! We don't back down! It doesn't matter if me and my team ever become chunin. That just means that we'll become the strongest genin ever. It doesn't matter if I'll be stuck as a genin I'll still be Hokage someday, no matter what!" Naruto sat back down with a determined frown on his face.

_'I thought as much, he doesn't know the meaning of the word quit.' _Sasuke thought as he looked quickly at the back of Naruto's head.

Sakura lowered her hand quickly on to the desk as she too, took on a determined frown. _'Naruto-senpai has faith in me. I can't let that faith be misplaced. If Sasuke-kun or Naruto-senpai believed I couldn't do this then they would have quit already!' _Sakura finished her thought as she awaited the final question from Ibiki.

Naruto got the result he wanted. The genin in front of him had lowered his hand again and he saw that Hinata's hand had stopped twitching. _'That should keep them in this thing.'_

"You do realize this is a life changing decision? If you want to quit for any reason, now is your last chance." Ibiki informed the blonde genin as he had a stare down with him.

"No chance, I never go back on my word, that's my nindo. You're not getting rid of me that easily!" Naruto replied confidently. Naruto's announcement brought some grins from the people that knew him, including a few that had just met him.

_'Interesting, his little speech spurred everyone else into staying. He's given them all a little backbone.' _Ibiki took a few steps forward. _'Seventy-two left, more than I expected. None of them are wavering. That's it.' _He turned to his sentinels and received acknowledging nods from all of them, except Haku. He nodded back before giving his announcement. "I suppose there's only one thing I have to tell you before continuing. I am now able to inform those of you remaining that... you have all passed the first exam!"

Naruto's fist tightened so much in surprise that he snapped the pencil he had been holding, his eyes also snapped wide in surprise. "What just happened here?" Naruto asked out loud.

"What do you mean we passed?" Sasuke asked right after him.

"Yeah! Where's the tenth question?" Sakura finished.

Ibiki chuckled with a maniacal grin on his face. "There never was one! Not a written one at least! Your decision to stay is technically the answer to the final question." Ibiki informed them all.

"So, you're telling us that the other nine questions were just a waste of time!?" Temari shouted from the back.

"No, not at all, quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic information under the most adverse circumstances." Ibiki informed her.

"Well that clears up everything." Temari replied sarcastically.

_'He had me up till 'ability to', after that it was all gibberish.' _Naruto thought to himself.

Kyuubi sighed heavily. _**'You've read all those books and yet you didn't understand any of that?' **_Kyuubi sighed again. _**'He meant he was testing your abilities to get info about your enemy when you were being watched by them. How well you could 'cheat' in a way .'**_ Kyuubi explained.

_'Oh, well why didn't he just say that in the first place? And why are you listening in on my private thoughts!?' _Naruto thought a little annoyed.

_**'Pay attention , Kit. Looks like he's got more to say.' **_Kyuubi told his blonde student, trying to avoid the question.

"Let me explain. I wanted to test you not only as individuals but as a team. I also wanted to see how well you functioned as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. That way you knew that whatever you did or failed to do would affect your teammates as well. I needed to see how well you could handle the pressure of that responsibility." Ibiki told everyone.

"Just like a chunin's responsibility to his squad." Sasuke stated.

"Exactly." Ibiki agreed with a nod. "The first nine questions were difficult. In fact, they were too difficult for a genin to be able to answer them, as some of you may have noticed."

"You can say that again." Naruto muttered.

"Because of that, I imagine most of you came to the conclusion that you would have to cheat to have any chance of passing. In fact, the test was designed to encourage cheating, even demanding it." Ibiki paused for a moment. "Then again, it would have done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. So I had three chunin, who already knew the answers, sit in the test for you cheat off of them."

The person in front of Naruto just turned and smirked to everyone. _'Dammit! The answers were right in front of me the whole time! I should have tried to get the answers there, instead of the whole thing with my shadow clones!' _Naruto thought, frustrated.

"Those who were caught at it, failed. Better not to cheat, than to cheat clumsily." Ibiki told all of them as he removed his head band. The sight of his bare head got some open mouthed stares and fearful gazes. "Information. How well you gather information about your target determines wether the mission is a failure or a success." His head was covered in scars from being tortured by the looks of things. "There are times when you'll have to risk your life to get information."

_'Nasty! Wonder what kind of info he got when he received those!?' _Were the thoughts of Naruto as he looked over the examiners wounds.

"What a mess! Scars and puncture wounds, burn marks! What he must have endured." Sasuke mused quietly as he also analyzed the wounds.

Ibiki rewrapped his head in his bandana and continued with his speech. "Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Information gathered from the enemy isn't always correct. Dis-information can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of a comrade or the loss of the village. That's why I put you in a position where you had to gather accurate information. Cheat, in order to survive and that's why the ones that weren't good enough at it were weeded out. Leaving the rest of you." He finished.

"I still don't get the tenth question thing." Temari argued from the back.

"You don't? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. One of the genin here even pointed it out." Ibiki said playfully.

It hit Naruto and Sakura at that point. "The tenth question put us in a no-win situation. The kind of situations chunin have to face almost everyday on missions. They have the option to accept or decline a missions given to them. If they're given a dangerous mission that seems suicidal, then they can opt out and live to fight another day." Naruto pointed out.

"But do chunin take this option? The answer, is no! The mission may seem suicidal if you think about it but you do not think about it! You think only of completing the mission given to you. Achieving it through courage and discipline. You do not try and second guess your squad members, you put your faith in them from the moment you accepted the mission. Those who falter in the face of adversity, those who worry about their own lives while their friends are in jeopardy, those who save their own necks at the sake of their honor. I will never allow a ninja like this to call themselves chunin, at least as long as I'm here!" Ibiki told them all with a glare. "As for those of you still here, you have successfully answered the ten questions I gave you. You have earned your place in the next step, you have passed through the gate. I hereby declare this part of the chunin exams officially over. There is nothing more for me to say except good luck in the rest of the exams." Ibiki informed the whole classroom.

There were several tense seconds as the room remained silent. The silence was broken by loud shouts of celebration from a certain blonde. "YATTA! I knew we could do it!" Naruto shouted as he jumped from his seat while holding his swords. He stood on his seat as he turned quickly to see his teammates.

"Naruto-senpai..." Sakura mumbled in embarrassment while hiding her face.

"Dobe..." Sasuke muttered as he looked away.

_'He's a strange one. One moment he's all serious and now he acts just like a little kid.' _Ibiki thought as he watched Naruto's actions.

Naruto just grinned at their reactions and dropped back down into his seat. "Ne, Hinata." He asked mischievously.

"H-hai, Naruto-kun?" She replied shyly, another blush forming from him addressing her.

His look suddenly got stern. "I meant what I said. Don't underestimate yourself again. I saw that you wanted to put your hand up, right before I shouted. It's the reason why I shouted, you're right, the nine of us should get through this together." He said as he smiled.

She smiled back with her blush from his encouraging words and the fact that he called her a friend. _'I'm getting closer.' _She thought happily.

Naruto, Ibiki's and most of the other good ninja's heads snapped to look at the window next the examiner. They all watched as a cannonball of cloth smashed through the window and unfurled itself. The four corners of the bundle were quickly held up by kunai thrown at the ceiling and floor showing a huge message that read, SECOND EXAMINER, MITARASHI ANKO! "Alright guys and gals, don't celebrate just yet! I'm your next examiner, Mitarashi Anko!" A purple haired, purple eyed woman announced from in front of the sign. "You ready for the second test? GOOD! Now, follow me!" She ordered everyone as she pumped a fist in the air.

Naruto just stared with wide eyes at the kunoichi thanks to her impromptu entrance. He sheathed the broadsword he had been drawing to get ready for a fight, but kept one hand on the hilt, just in case. Another reason for his wide eyes was the woman's fashion sense. She appeared to be wearing nothing but mesh clothing along with a very short orange mini skirt and to top it off she was wearing a tan trench coat over it. She had her hitai-ite around her head, some shin guards that were attached to her sandals and a strange pendant around her neck. Ibiki walked around the banner and addressed Anko. "You're early, again."

Anko blushed from embarrassment at Ibiki's statement and got an awkward look in her eyes. Naruto hadn't been the only one to reach for a weapon. Sasuke had pulled out a kunai, Ten-ten had pulled out a handful of shuriken, Sakura had pulled out a handful of senbon and several other unknown ninja had reached for their respective weapons, mostly kunai. Anko's entrance had put them all on high alert. _'She act's like Naruto-senpai when he's not fighting an enemy or training.' _Sakura thought, surprised by the kunoichi's antics, as she put away the senbon.

The rest of the of the candidates did the same, seeing that the new arrival wasn't there to fight. "High strung aren't we?" Anko stated as she looked out over all the left over candidates. "How many of you guys are there? Ibiki! You're getting soft! The test was too easy!" She exclaimed to the ANBU head.

Ibiki put on a small smirk. "Or it could be a stronger batch of candidates this year." He retorted in his gravelly voice.

Anko looked back over the candidates. "They sure don't look it. Trust me, when I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated." She said with a maniacal grin.

This statement caused some of the candidates to frown at the new examiner. _'More than half, huh? That means this next one is gonna be difficult.' _Naruto thought with slight bit of worry, mixed with a slight bit of glee.

"This is gonna be fun!" Anko told herself with a small smile. Her features turned serious a split second later as she addressed the crowd. "Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far! But that's gonna change tomorrow morning! I'll let your jounin sensei know where you're to meet me. Dismissed." She finished in a quiet taunting tone.

With Anko's announcement over, most of the chunin hopefuls stood up and started filing out of the room. Some used a shunshin style from their village, including Gaara who once again used his sand shunshin. Naruto had also stood up and reattached his weapons but he wasn't going to leave just yet. He met up with Sasuke and Sakura whom were waiting by the door that lead out of the room. "Hey, guys wait for me outside the academy okay? I have something to finish up with in here before I can leave, I'll be out in about ten minutes."

"Hai, Naruto-senpai." Sakura replied with a nod. Sasuke simply 'hn'd in his usual fashion and they both went out of the room.

Eventually the only people left were the sentinels, Ibiki, Anko and Naruto. Naruto was walking over to Haku, when Anko spoke up. "What are you doing here? I said you were dismissed Gaki!" She shouted to Naruto.

"I just need to get rid of the results of my cheating." Naruto replied as he stopped in front of Haku, who was still holding his clipboard out in front of him, with the pen resting slightly on the paper. "If I don't get rid of it now Haku will have to wait about five maybe seven hours before he can talk and move again." He informed all present as he activated his Kaiseki Boushi. He made sure his back was to all of them so they wouldn't see his eyes. He was very glad that Haku was watching the back row right now, otherwise he'd have to reveal his Kekkei Genkai to more people.

"So, it was you who was causing those chakra spikes coming from Haku?" A sentinel directly behind Naruto stated more than asked.

"Yeah, that was me." Naruto replied simply as he destroyed the seals, the silencing one first and then the petrification one.

Haku dropped the clipboard and pen and quickly got up and stretched, several pops were heard as his joints got moving again and a slight creaking of his muscles were heard. "I'll forgive you this time for doing that Naruto-sama but do that again and I'll put you in a near-death state so you can know how it feels not being able to move. Don't worry I'll make sure to make my tea extra strong and in effect making it more bitter to help you recover faster." Haku stated coldly with a small smirk.

Naruto paled slightly at the threat, he had gotten a very detailed description of the medicinal tea's flavour from Sasuke. Plus, he really didn't want to be put in a near-death state in case his fan-girls found out and did something while he was unable to move. "No problemo, Haku. I doubt I'll have to do it again anytime soon anyway!" Naruto replied quickly, waving his hands in front of him in a defensive manner. Haku's smirk turned into a smile and he started snickering. "What are you laughing about?" Naruto asked, his suspicion peaked.

"Just your reaction to my empty threat Naruto-sama." Haku replied, holding in a full out laugh.

Naruto sighed deeply at the mention of an 'empty threat'. "Dammit! Don't scare me like that Haku! I thought you were really serious there!" Naruto told him with a relieved look.

"Sorry, Naruto-sama but I couldn't help myself!" Haku replied with a grin.

"I rubbed off on you to much. Wait a second, your using -sama with my name again. Do you really have to do that?" Naruto asked, suddenly noticing the use of the honorific.

"Of course Naruto-sama. We are in the presence of my superiors after all." Haku replied nodding toward Ibiki and Anko, who had been watching the two throughout the conversation.

Naruto turned his head slightly to look at the two, in doing so he noticed that the sentinels around them were talking amongst themselves. When he finally laid his eyes on Ibiki and Anko, he almost gasped in surprise. He'd forgotten to deactivate his Kaiseki Boushi and what he saw coming off Anko was new to him but if he could see it, it meant one thing. She had a seal on her, it was a big one covering her whole body and there seemed to be a large cluster of symbols over her left shoulder. He deactivated his Kaiseki Boushi and quickly turned away. _'What the hell was that!? I didn't get anything from the symbols but I know that wasn't any kind of weight seal! The symbols were weird too, every other time I've analyzed a seal, the symbols have shown up in blue. Why were these symbols purple and why did it give me a bad feeling when I saw them? And what was up with the pattern they made!? It looked like the face of a demon or something else evil!' _Naruto was broken from these thoughts abruptly as Haku addressed him.

"Naruto-sama? Are you alright?" Haku asked, slightly worried for his friend.

"Wuh? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine Haku, don't worry about it." Naruto replied, less energetic than usual.

Anko saw the way he looked at her and then turned away quickly. _'What was that all about? He couldn't know about my being trained by Orochimaru. He's too young to know anything about that.' _She thought confused and slightly pissed. "Hey, Gaki!You gonna introduce yourself or what?" Anko shouted to Naruto.

Naruto turned around quickly and stared at Anko defiantly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm-"

"Uzumaki Naruto-sama." Haku finished for him.

"Haku what's with you finishing my introduction?" Naruto asked in a confused manner.

"As your assistant it is a part of my duty to you." Haku replied simply, still looking at his superiors.

"You mean to tell me, this is the kid that beat your old sensei, Haku!?" One of the sentinels asked incredulously. "He's the kid that finished off Zabuza?"

"Yeah, I did that. It wasn't in combat, he had received a fatal blow and I just granted him a quick death as the new owner of his zanbatō." Naruto answered in a respectful tone as he always did when talking of those he respected.

"No Way!" Another sentinel exclaimed. "You don't even look like you could lift Zabuza's Kubikiri Hōchō, let alone get Zabuza to respect you enough to name you his heir."

This exclamation caused the air temperature to drop from Haku's glare at the chunin sentinel. "Do not dare talk of Naruto-sama in that way. He is a strong ninja and an honorable fighter." Haku spat to the sentinel.

"Easy Haku, I have a way to make him eat his words." Naruto stated as he laid one hand on Haku's shoulder and the other went for the first scroll in his holsters. "Guess I'll just have to give you the proof." Naruto stated as he opened up the scroll to show the first seal in a long catalog of seals. He placed the scroll on the ground and put his hand in a half-ram hand seal and a large billow of smoke appeared over the seal. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was shown leaning the sword over his shoulders. "This enough proof for ya?" He asked sarcastically to the sentinel.

All the sentinels were staring wide-eyed at the way Naruto was just supporting the blade on his body like it was nothing. "Uh-huh! That's proof enough for me!" The sentinel that doubted Naruto replied dumbly.

"Good." Naruto said sharply. He knelt down and held the zanbatō over the storage seal and sealed it, once more. "Well, I'm outta here my teammates are waiting for me, so I'll see 'round okay Haku!" Naruto announced as he turned for the door and left.

"Haku, what exactly did he do to cheat?" Ibiki asked in an authoritative voice.

"He created clones in the room beneath this one, one of them used kawarimi on me and took my place. When I arrived in the room below, I was knocked unconscious. When I came to, a clone of Naruto-sama had placed seals on me to keep me silent and from moving. A clone that had taken my place then used kawarimi with me again and I was replaced in the room. I do not know what happened when I was unconscious." Haku replied in as much detail as possible.

"Interesting, he used the shadow clone jutsu to gather information as it had originally been created for but also took a hostage while using it. Even going so far as to replace the hostage instead of leaving the clone. He covered his tracks pretty well but he's pretty strange, knowing the kage bunshin at his age." Ibiki thought out loud.

Anko was still looking at the door Naruto had left through. _'He's good but what was with that look he gave me?' _She grinned slightly. "Uzumaki Naruto, huh? I'm gonna have fun messing with him in the test tomorrow." She said mischievously.

* * *

"Woah! This is training area 44?" Naruto exclaimed as he stepped up with Sakura and Sasuke. He had been looking at the giant trees for a few minutes when he felt a presence behind him and looked back to find a box camouflaged to look like a rock. "You know Konohamaru, your stelth may have gotten better but your camo still sucks." Naruto told the box as he squatted down in front of it.

"So you saw through it again, you're good Nii-san! Just what I'd expect from my rival." Konohamaru announced from inside the box.

Naruto knew what was coming next from their earlier performance. "Oh no you don't! No explosions this time!" He announced as he pulled the box off of them and swiped the explosives away in one swift motion. He pocketed the explosives and turned back to the three. "Alright, so what are the three of you doing here, I'm kinda in the middle of the chunin exams right now." He asked the three.

"We're here to do some interviews for the academy newsletter!" Konohamaru announced happily.

"Uh-huh, well good luck with that!" Naruto said as he turned away to listen to any instructions.

"Hey wait a second Nii-san! You're one of the people we're interviewing!" Konohamaru shouted as he grabbed Naruto's leg.

"Hey watch it! Whoa!" Naruto shouted as he toppled over from the unexpected imbalance.

"Hey what's going on over here! What are you kids doing here?" Anko asked as she walked over to the three academy students and Naruto.

"We're here to do an interview!" Moegi shouted from beside Udon who quickly agreed with an 'Uh-huh' and vigorously nodding his head.

"Interview? Oh yeah the Hokage did say something about that!" Anko exclaimed with a sheepish grin. She turned around to face all the candidates. "All right everyone, we're taking a short break so the students from the academy can interview a few of us. Please be courteous and kind to them!" She shouted as she walked off to get the test ready.

"Nii-san, you're up first!" Konohamaru announced as he leapt to his feet. "We'd like your name and some info about your teammates!" Konohamaru asked him quickly.

Naruto sighed deeply and did as he was asked. "Fine... You all ready know my name so..." And the next couple of minutes were spent answering a few questions. Once they were done, Konohamaru's group walked off to find Sakura and started asking her the same questions. Naruto decided a little bit of a rest was in order so he just found a tree to lie next to.

"So, what can you tell us about Naruto-nii-san's jutsus?" Moegi asked excitedly to Sakura.

"Well... I don't really know about every jutsu he knows but I know a few. I'm afraid Naruto asked me to never reveal them though." Sakura answered with a small smile.

"Awww, come on, please?" Konohamaru begged.

"Well, I guess I could tell you about his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, he uses that a lot. There's also his Doton: Daichi Hei no Jutsu, that he also taught me, it can be pretty useful in a bind. Those are the only two I'm telling you about." Sakura announced as she stuck out her tongue.

"So you don't know about Nii-san's Oiroke no Jutsu?" Konohamaru asked loudly. At Sakura's questioning look, he carried on. "He made it and used it on my closet pervert of a sensei, it was really strong!" Konohamaru explained.

Naruto had heard Konohamaru shouting about the useless jutsu he had created and rushed over to try and get him not to show it. He arrived behind Sakura and started gesturing with his hands to shut Konohamaru up. He was waving his hands in a crossing motion then running a finger across his throat and finally just put his arms together to make a large X shape.

Seeing Sakura just frown and disregarding his Nii-san's gesturing, Konohamaru decided an example was needed. "I'll show you!" He brought his hands into a hand seal and shouted "Oiroke no Jutsu!" A plume of smoke enveloped him and then dissipated to reveal a well proportioned brunette in very alluring pose. The sight caused several male ninja to produce nose-bleed, others with just blushes while others just ignored it.

Sakura got a dark look on her face when she saw this supposed jutsu that Naruto had created. "Naruto-senpai?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice as she turned around, cracking her knuckles.

"Uh, let me explain Sakura-chan!" Naruto whimpered as he started sweating and backing up only to be met with a wave of killing intent directed toward him. He turned his head slowly to see a large group of kunoichi staring, not daggers but full blown swords at him. "H-hello ladies, about that jutsu, I-I don't really use it... really!" He tried to convince them. He was... unsuccessful to say the least. A severe beating followed by Konohamaru and his friends finishing their interviews a few minutes later and they were back to standing in front of Anko. Naruto with a few bumps protruding from his head and some bruises decorating his face.

_**'I told you that making that jutsu up would be a bad idea.' **_Kyuubi announced in Naruto's head.

_'Shut up Kyu-sensei.' _Was Naruto's curt reply, which only made Kyuubi chuckle more. Naruto just blocked him out and looked back at the forest.

"That forest kinda gives me the creeps." Sakura announced quietly, trying not to shiver at the sight of the dark forest.

"It should, they call it the forest of death for a reason ya know!" Anko announced with a grin.

All the teams that had passed the first exam the day before were now standing together outside a fenced off area which was overgrown with vegetation, mostly giant trees. There was a small shack with three of the sentinels from the day before sitting behind a desk. While Anko was standing in front of the fenced off area, facing all the candidates. "I bet!" Naruto stated in awe.

_'He actually looks like he's looking forward to going in there. Weird kid, I like that.' _Anko thought as she looked over the candidates, luckily she hadn't been a part of the group that beat up Naruto, otherwise he'd be dead already. "Before we begin the test, I have to hand out these consent forms." Anko announced as she pulled out a bundle of papers. "Before the test all of you have to read over this form and sign it. From this point on there's a chance you could die. So, I need your consent otherwise I'd be held responsible for your deaths." Anko informed them all with a chuckle.

Naruto stepped forward to be level with Kabuto's team. There was a ripple of whispers at Anko's announcement but Naruto wasn't paying attention to that. _'There's that weird smell again. I know it's coming off Kabuto but it's like it's coming off his teammate, the examiner, inside the forest and someone else out here as well. What the hell is it!?' _He thought in frustration.

"Now, as to what you'll be doing in the test." Anko looked at Naruto and offered the forms. "Here pass these out." She looked back toward the crowd once Naruto had taken the forms and passed them on when he took one. "First of all you should now that this test is gonna test your survival skills to the max."

_'Survival skills? How troublesome.' _Shikamaru thought with a yawn as he received the forms and passed them on.

"Now to give you a quick idea of the landscape." Anko announced as she pulled out a scroll and it unraveled to show a small map. "Alright, around the training area there are forty-four entrance gates. Inside is mostly forest with a couple of rivers. Right at the center there's a locked tower, which is situated about ten kilometers from each gate, that's your final destination. It's inside this enclosed area that you'll undertake the survival test." She wrapped the scroll up and replaced it in her trench coat and brought out a couple of scrolls in it's place. "The main part of the test is... a no holds barred battle to get your mits on these scrolls." She announced as she held out the two, one white with the kanji for heaven and a dark one with the kanji for earth.

"We have to get both of them?" Sasuke asked.

"Yep. You need to fight to get both of them to pass. A heaven scroll and an earth scroll. Altogether there are twenty-four teams taking the test, which means, half of the teams will be going for an earth scroll while the other half will be chasing a heaven scroll." She held the scrolls in front of her face as she carried on. "I'll be giving one kind of scroll to each team for your consent forms and that's what you'll be vying for."

"And to pass the test?" Naruto asked, not looking up from his consent form.

"The entire squad needs to bring both a heaven and earth scroll to the tower." Anko answered, informing the whole crowd.

"Which means, at best, only half the teams will make it through this test. Less, if they can't get both the scrolls." Sakura voiced, worried.

"No one ever said it would be easy. Oh, by the way there's also a time limit." Anko announced as she replaced the two scrolls in her trench coat. "You have to bring both the scrolls to the tower within five days." This little bit of information caused an uproar from Ino and Chouji. One being worried about staying there for that long and the other about how to get food. "Easy, the forest is full of stuff to eat. You just have to look around. There should be enough to feed all of you."

"Yeah, but the forest has other stuff to offer. There are man-eating animals and poisonous plants, in there too." Kabuto informed everyone.

This information brought a disgruntled sigh from Chouji. "Quiet down, this is why they call it survival after all." Ino announced.

"Under these kinds of circumstances there's no way that half the teams will make it through this test." Neji stated stoically.

"With the days getting longer, the nights are getting shorter so we will have less time to sleep an less time to recover. It is a challenge indeed!" Lee announced with a blinding smile.

"Completely surrounded by enemies, there won't be time to rest we'll have to keep a constant watch. Or Naruto will at least, with his clones." Sasuke announced smirking slightly.

"Hey! Don't expect me to do all the dirty work just cause I'm like a one man army." Naruto quietly hissed to Sasuke.

"Right!" Anko announced loudly to interupt their conversation. "This test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be gruelling test and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge." She finished a little sinisterly.

Shikamaru raised his hand quietly and then spoke up. "So, lets say mid-exam. Can we quit?"

"Of course not! You can't just put your hand up in the middle of a battle and say, 'Sorry, I quit'. Well, I guess you could but you'd probably be killed!" She answered with a grin.

Shikamaru just crossed his arms and lowered his head. "Just great, this is so troublesome."

Anko ignored his comment and carried on in a bored tone this time. "There are also a few ways you can be disqualified. First off, if your whole team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. Second, if your team loses a member or a member of your team is incapacitated and can't continue. Finally, this is the most important one, none of you, absolutely none of you may open the scrolls and look at their contents until you reach the tower." Anko informed them all in a serious tone of voice. From the questioning looks Anko got from the rookies she carried on. "There are times when ninja are required to carry secret documents, the scroll rule is to test your integrity. And that's a wrap, each team can now turn in your consent forms over there for your scrolls." Anko announced as she pointed to the shack. "Once you get your scroll pick a gate and get ready to start. Oh, and one last piece of advice, JUST DON'T DIE!" She shouted getting a flinch from some and a determined look from others.

* * *

After Anko's little speech Naruto had decided to find somewhere to relax for now since Sakura and Sasuke had gone off by themselves. He also wanted to get a clear line of sight of the examiner, Anko, so he could check out the seals again. He found a good place eventually, the hill that Sasuke was leaning against, instead of leaning against the opposite side he just went to the top and sat down. _'Now to take another look at that seal the examiner has.' _He thought as he activated his Kaiseki Boushi and covered them with his goggles so no one would see them.

* * *

Sasuke was watching the booth where they were supposed to get their scroll and wasn't surprised to see them pulling a curtain over the front to hide the desk. _'So, we don't get know what scroll every team has and we don't know which team member is carrying the scroll. As Ibiki said, everyone is equally determined to pass and all of them are our enemies.'_ Sasuke thought as he looked around at all the talking teams.

Anko saw the Uchiha sitting by himself and could practically see the cogs turning in his head. _'Looks like they're starting to understand what's involved in this test.' _She tore her look off him and looked about. _'Now where's that blonde kid from yesterday? I still haven't had a chance to mess with him yet!' _She thought maniacally as she looked for Naruto. She soon felt someone looking at her and turned her head to see Naruto right there a few feet from Sasuke. _'How'd I miss him there and how long has he been looking at me? Doesn't matter, now then, let the fun begin!' _She thought gleefully as a kunai dropped into her hand from her sleeve.

* * *

**Author Note;  
**So what did you think of that? Tell me if you feel like it. If not, then carry on enjoying the fanfic silently, either way is good to me!


	19. First Fight of the Exam

Sorry for the long wait but there's been trouble at work and I've had to work extra hours.

Disclaimer: I suppose I better say this again so I don't get sued, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 19 – First Fight of the Exam

* * *

**Last time:**

Anko saw the Uchiha sitting by himself and could practically see the cogs turning in his head._ 'Looks like they're starting to understand what's involved in this test.' _She tore her look off him and looked about. _'Now where's that blonde kid from yesterday? I still haven't had a chance to mess with him yet!' _She thought maniacally as she looked for Naruto. She soon felt someone looking at her and turned her head to see Naruto right there a few feet from Sasuke._ 'How'd I miss him there and how long has he been looking at me? Doesn't matter, now then let the fun begin!' _She thought gleefully as a kunai dropped into her hand from her sleeve.

**This Chapter:**

Naruto had learned quite a lot from studying the symbols shown by his Kaiseki Boushi. First off, it wasn't one large seal as he had originally thought. It was lots of small seals, connected by a master seal which appeared to be situated on Anko's left shoulder. Not only that, but the smaller seals weren't actually on her skin but rather under it. The things that the small seals did scared him slightly, there effects were probably not only painful but very dangerous for the bearer of the seals. _'Skin pigment manipulation, muscle fiber alteration, temporary genetic mutation, nerve stimulation!? What the hell could that be used for? Unless it was applied by someone else without her consent!'_

Naruto was so deep in concentration from analyzing the seals he didn't notice that Anko had spotted him. _'What the hell's this! These seals look like they're some form of kinjutsu and a dangerous one at that! Wait, the master seal symbols, chakra storage? No, chakra draining, it's draining her chakra and looks like it's converting it, condensing it and adding something to it. What is th- WOAH!'_Were Naruto's thoughts as he caught the kunai that was headed for him just as it cut into his cheek. He was so caught off guard he flew back slightly from trying to avoid the kunai and landed on his back.

* * *

Sakura was walking around the area aimlessly as she was reading through the consent form and checking out the other candidates. She was trying to figure out which ones would be their best chance to grab the second scroll. _'The problem is the ones I choose may not have the scroll we need.' _She thought as she carried on through the other teams.

_**'CHA! Doesn't matter, we'll just go after some other guys instead!' **_Her inner persona shouted as she threw a few practice punches.**_ 'Senpai said we just had to pick out the easier targets AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO!' _**Her inner persona shouted pumping a fist in the air as she herself smiled at the thought.

She stopped for a second when she saw Ino looking at her and start saying something. "Well, well, if it isn't miss forehead! I'm surprised they let you get past the first tes-" Ino started but was cut off by Sakura.

"Ino, I don't have time to trade insults with you! Maybe you didn't notice but there's an exam we need to focus on!" Sakura snapped as she turned away from the blonde and carried on looking over the other candidates. _'I learned my lesson in the first exam! I have to treat this exam exactly like a mission and be serious about it! I can't play around with Ino.' _Sakura thought as she remembered what happened in the first exam.

Ino just glared daggers at Sakura's retreating form. "Looks like she's gotten a lot more serious since being trained by Naruto." Shikamaru stated with a yawn.

"It doesn't matter she's still gonna fail this test! Come on we're gonna scope out the competition like her!" Ino spat, venom dripping from her words.

"Awwh, man! Sakura had to get her all pumped up like that." Chouji groaned.

* * *

"You're actually pretty good Gaki! You at least managed to catch the kunai. Not a lot of people have been able to do that, much less a genin." Anko exclaimed as she appeared standing at Naruto's head while looking down at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Attacking a fellow konoha shinobi like that?" Naruto exploded still holding the kunai to his face, trying to look the kunoichi in the eye past her ample bust.

"I like to keep my fellow shinobi on their toes!" Anko stated with a grin. Naruto frowned and pulled the now bloody kunai away from the cut on his face.

"Yeah, well, you could have at least made it miss me." Naruto said as he held up the kunai for Anko to take.

"Where's the fun in that? Besides..." She paused for a moment as she took the kunai back. "I like to try out the blood of my fellow shinobi now and then." She finished as she licked some of the blood off the kunai. _'Hmmm, not bad, he tastes pretty good. Not too salty and a little sweet.' _She thought with a mental smile.

_'Okay... she's kinda creepy. She's kinda cool too, I guess, that kunai throw was perfect, and fast! Keeping fellow shinobi on their toes, I'll have to remember that next time I see her. Maybe I should try it with Sasuke and Sakura too, without the whole blood licking part of course.' _Naruto thought as he continued to stare up at the crazy kunoichi.

Anko looked down at Naruto, who was still lying on the floor. "Hey Gaki, I can't tell where you're looking at down there, thanks to those goggles, but it better be my face!" Anko exclaimed as she pointed the kunai back down at him, or rather a sensitive area of him.

"Huh? Where else would I be looking at?" Naruto asked dumbly as he continued trying to stare up at her face past her cleavage.

Anko just looked surprised at the innocence of the blonde genin as she thought of another way to mess with him. "Well, up my skirt would be one place. You better not look, since I didn't wear any under wear today." She explained with a grin.

As most people do, out of reflex, Naruto looked to where he was told not to. He regretted looking right away, not because he didn't like what he saw but because it caused him to have nosebleed and blush, which in turn caused his cut to bleed some more. He sat bolt upright trying to hide his blush and nosebleed, muttering apologies as he protected his head from any damage it would likely receive. _'Kuso, Kuso, KUSO! I'm gonna get another beating now for sure.' _He thought, panicking, a lot. He'd read those books in his father's old bedroom but that didn't mean he wanted to peak on women all the time! He was just curious and wanted to please any future girlfriends.

He'd been lucky, in a way, Anko was lying about not wearing any underwear. But what she was wearing was still too much to keep his mind from going to certain 'thoughts'. Anko saw his reaction before he tried to hide it and knew he'd looked. _'Gotcha! I knew this was gonna be fun!' _She thought with glee as she brought the kunai back up and approached him from behind, bringing the kunai to his throat. "So that's why you've been staring at me all this time. You've been thinking perverted thoughts about me, huh, punk?" Anko said in an angry tone and added some pressure to Naruto's throat with the kunai.

"Gomen, gomen nasai! I didn't mean to! It's just-" Naruto was cut off by Anko as he was trying to apologize.

"Quiet! You're so innocent it's hilarious!" Anko stated with a chuckle. "You still got to see my panties so I think that deserves some kind of punishment... or payment." Anko said with a slightly dark tone.

"W-what kind of payment?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Hmmmm. I'd say all this extra blood coming from your face." Anko started as she dragged her index and middle finger through the blood trickling down his face. "Will be enough." She continued before she brought her fingers to her mouth and savored the taste of his blood.

Naruto just looked back at her incredulously. _'She really is crazy! This has gone far enough now, I need to talk about the seal with her and I can't do that when she's like this.' _He thought as he came up with a plan to get her serious. "Alright Anko-sensei, now that you got your payment, mind getting your kunai away from my throat?" Naruto asked in a serious tone.

"All serious now are we? If I don't, what are you gonna do about it? And another thing what's up with the goggles?" Anko asked mischievously.

"To answer in order, yes I am serious, when I need to be. If you wanna find that out, look down. I can't show you why I wear the goggles until you let me go." He replied coldly.

Anko did as he suggested and started to look down. Just before her gaze went all the way down, she felt it, the cold sharp tip of a knife, lightly touching her stomach. She saw it next, at some point, Naruto had pulled the knife from behind his back and leveled it at her stomach. She looked back up and saw he had also pulled the second knife out and had it pressed against her kunai, stopping it from going any further. _'Interesting. He's got some surprises up his sleeves just like me, if he had sleeves.' _She thought as she looked at the back of his head again."Alright, Gaki, I'll lay off. I still want to know what was up with that look you gave me yesterday and why you were staring at me today." She relented, pulling the kunai away and storing it back up her sleeve.

Naruto pulled the knives away from Anko, he stood up, sheathed the knives in one swift motion and turned around. "First, I have to show you why I wear these." Naruto said as he motioned to take off the goggles. He shut his eyes as he started to pull the goggles down his face. When he dropped the goggles around his neck he snapped his eyes open, revealing the Kaiseki Boushi eyes.

"What the hell's up with your eyes?" Anko asked with a frown as she looked him dead in the eyes. "I get it, this is some kind of henge isn't it? You're trying to prank me for cuttin' ya aren't ya?" Anko asked chuckling lightly.

"This isn't a prank or a henge, these eyes let me see how seals work by showing me what each symbol of a seal does. From what I've seen with you, it lets me see seals that are inside the body too, cause I can see the seals that are in your body. I'm looking at them right now, even as we're talking. I can see the one on your shoulder really clearly and it looks like it controls all the other seals, I'm guessing that's the only visible part of the seal?" Naruto asked calmly as he divulged some of what he had learned.

Anko took a step forward and lowered herself into a defensive stance. "You really aren't bullshitting are you!? Only a few people know about that seal! You either swear to keep it a secret now or I'm gonna have to silence you!" She near shouted, not wanting to get the attention of the other candidates.

"I have a better idea than just keeping it a secret. If you let me study it some more, I could probably use the other part of my ability to destroy the seals that are in you and the one on your shoulder. You'd be free of it's control and the pain it causes. I know it was made to control you, that it hurts you and that it's draining your chakra to do something else with it. So what do you say? Will you let me study it some more when this exam is over? I promise I'll do everything I can to get rid of the seal." Naruto asked as he let the Kaiseki Boushi fade, extending a hand out for her to shake.

Anko was taken aback by his offer and the look in his eyes. _'He's actually showing concern for me and it doesn't even look like he's expecting to get anything in return for what he's doing. But I can't be too careful.' _She looked down at his hand and then back up to his eyes. "One question Gaki... how do I know you won't just use whatever you learn and make your own version of the seal? Or if you'll just find a way to use the seal and control me, yourself!" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"I wouldn't use a seal like that on my worst enemy, let alone a fellow leaf shinobi. You can ask Hokage-jii-san if you don't believe me there. You could even ask him to come along when I study the seal, if it'll make you feel better." Naruto replied seriously, not moving an inch.

A grin broke on to Anko's face. "Alright Gaki... Naruto. I'll take your offer but if you try anything funny I'll have a kunai at your throat quicker than you can say dango. Just make sure you don't die in the test, otherwise you won't be able to get rid of this thing." Anko told him as she shook his offered hand.

"Don't worry, I've made a promise, I don't go back on my word and I'll get through this thing easy!" Naruto replied with a grin.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, WE'RE GONNA START HANDING OUT SCROLLS NOW!" One of the chunin shouted from behind the curtained booth.

"Better get going kid or you're gonna get flunked before you even start." Anko said with a grin, inside she was actually jumping for joy at the thought of being rid of the seal on her shoulder.

"Kuso! I guess we'll have to finish this when the exam is over. Well, see ya at the tower, Anko-sensei!" He yelled back as he jumped off the ledge and landed next to Sasuke as he was getting up. "Ready, Teme?"

Sasuke just looked at him unimpressed, then he turned away and smirked. "Dobe, I'm the one that should be asking you that." He said calmly as he walked away.

Anko chuckled as she watched Naruto jog after him yelling something. _'He's a weird one but he seems pretty skilled, same goes for the Uchiha gaki and the kunoichi with them. I wonder if he really trained her? Meh, it doesn't matter, I gotta get ready to start the test any way.' _Anko thought, as she too leapt off the ledge and started walking towards the fencing. _'Gotta remember to get him out of calling me Anko-sensei too, makes me feel old.'_

Naruto had argued with Sasuke about who should carry the scroll. He finally managed to convince Sasuke that his hiding place was good enough to keep the scroll safe and that no one would be able to find it. Naruto's hiding place, of course, was a storage seal he had on the inside of his jacket. He had one on either side of the jacket, he usually used them for extra kunai and shuriken but after hearing about the scrolls he decided to empty them and use them to store the scrolls instead. He looked at the scroll in his hand for moment, it was an earth scroll. Now all they had to do was find it's counterpart and they'd be home free. He sealed it away quietly and turned to Sasuke and Sakura as they waited for their gate, number 17, to be opened. "Guys, before we go in there I need to tell you about my scroll." Naruto said calmly as he pulled out the second scroll he was carrying.

"What about it senpai?" Sakura asked.

Naruto opened up the scroll to show three seals. "The first seal contains medical supplies and soldier pills, stuff like that, the middle one, water, the last one contains food. I doubt we'll really need the last one, we should be able to get any food we need in the forest. I'm showing these now just in case I get knocked out or something." He rolled the scroll up and replaced it in the holster. "These things aren't much use if you don't know they're there." He finished with a grin.

He received a confident, "Got it," from Sakura and a simple 'Hn' from Sasuke. The three then turned back to the locked gate.

"So, Sakura-chan, which teams would be best to go after?" Naruto asked with a smile, not bothering to look at her.

Sakura smiled as well, not looking at him either. "There are a few teams, first..." Sakura continued as she recounted all the teams she had pegged as the 'easy ones'. Sasuke just looked surprised at the fact that the two of them had some kind of plan and that Sakura was the one who gathered the info.

* * *

"You know who our target is." Dosu stated as he stared at the gate they were to enter through, number 20.

"Yeah, yeah, the Uchiha kid, we know." Zaku replied in a bored tone as he also watched the gate, Kin standing slightly behind him in silence.

* * *

"Alright! We rock at survival! There's no way we can fail this." Kiba exclaimed as he, Shino and Hinata waited for their gate to open, number 16.

"H-hai, we will make it through this test!" Hinata stated trying to control her stutter as much as possible. Naruto had told not to underestimate herself and she wasn't going to.

Kiba looked at her with slight surprise and then broke back into a smile. "Yeah! That's the spirit Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed just the same as he had before. Shino merely gave a slight nod of approval at his female teammate's new-found confidence, however small it may be.

* * *

"This test is so troublesome. We could die at anytime in there and it's not like there are a lot of weak teams we can take advantage of." Shikamaru stated lazily as he held his hands behind his head while Chouji quietly went through all the food he had brought with him.

"We can do this! I'm gonna show that pink-haired billboard-brow that I'm just as good as she is!" Ino exclaimed as she clenched her fists in anticipation for their gate, number 27, to open.

* * *

Kankuro and Temari stood a couple of feet away from Gaara as they waited for their gate to open, number 6. Each had a worried look on their face. _'Not only do I have to deal with the punks on the other teams but I have to be with Gaara and he might try to kill me! Then again, he's been kind of obsessed with that kid that nearly took my head.' _Kankuro thought as he rubbed his neck from the memory.

* * *

Three grass nin chuckled lightly as they waited for their gate, number 15, to open. "We'll go after the rookies first, they'll be easy prey." The short and slightly pudgy nin stated from beneath his wide straw hat. He wore a dark cloak with a thick rope like collar over the top half of his body and black pants and black sandals.

"We'll get their scroll from them in no time. Anything goes right?" The female grass nin asked as she looked over to her teammate. She was wearing the same straw hat but with a small tag hanging off the back end. She wore the same black sandals and pants, a cream coloured long tunic that went down past her knees covering her torso. Underneath the tunic was a long sleeved undershirt. Around her waist she wore a large purple rope that was knotted behind her back in an elaborate way. She wore the Kusa hitai-ite around her forehead that held back her long dark hair.

The third member remained silent as he awaited the opening of the gate. He had the same straw hat as the other two but chose to let it hang around his neck. He wore the same black sandals and pants as the other two but with a mesh undershirt and black gi top with the hem decorated in white that was slightly open. He also wore a rope around his waste, except it was white and had a less elaborate knot behind his back. Unlike the other two as well, he had some sort of wooden mask hiding his face and black fingerless gloves on his hands.

* * *

There wasn't much time left now, a few minutes and the gates would open. All the assistant proctors unlocked the gates they were stationed at and watched the second hand on all their synchronized watches. The seconds went by at an almost agonizingly slow pace, until. "Alright, heads up maggots! The second part of the chunin exams has begun!" Anko shouted from her spot next to the booth that handed out all the scrolls.

The assistant proctors pushed open all the gates at once and the various teams entered in their own manner. Some leapt straight into the trees, others dashed for the tree line while others merely walked in. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, chose to leap into the trees merely watching out for any of the teams Sakura had described. If they spotted any of them, they would use a plan that all three came up with.

* * *

The grass nins on the other hand dashed into the tree line. "You remember who we're looking for?" The female grass nin asked her teammates.

"Yeah! Pinky, Blondie and Emo-kid." The shorter teammate replied.

* * *

Hinata, Kiba and Shino dropped into clearing when they got far enough into the forest. "Alright Hinata, you know what we're looking for." Kiba exclaimed.

"H-hai." Hinata replied as she had already started activating her Byakugan without the use of the family hand-seal. It activated slower and took more chakra but she did it.

"Nice one Hinata! No hand-seal this time!" Kiba exclaimed as Akamaru yipped in approval.

* * *

Sasuke stopped when he noticed Naruto had stopped on the branch in front of him. "What's the hold up Dobe?" He asked in annoyance.

"Well, I just thought now would be a good time to actually look for another team. There's a stream down there we can relax next to while I send out some clones, they find anything and we can just head out." Naruto explained as he turned to face Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke wanted to object, to go against the blondes plan but he just couldn't find a big enough flaw in it to have a plausible argument. "Fine, I guess that'll do." Sasuke replied as he leapt down to the streams edge. The three of them found a few large roots they could use as cover and Naruto went about creating some shadow clones.

As Naruto was about to perform the jutsu he noticed Sasuke suddenly look at him very intently. He turned back and dropped the hand seal. "Don't bother trying to copy the jutsu Sasuke. You don't have enough chakra to use it like I do." Naruto stated as he turned around and looked Sasuke in the eye with a grin. "But if you want, I have got some other clone techniques that you could use. Only problem with those is they can't send info back to you, they just make a clone to follow your orders."

"Cht, whatever, Dobe. Just get some of your clones out there to get us our heaven scroll." Sasuke stated cooly as he looked away from the blond again.

Naruto just shrugged and created the clones, he created roughly 40 or so clones which instantly leapt away from the site. The clones went off in pairs, so one could dispel itself and give away the position of the target to Naruto while the second would keep following the target if they moved. "Now, how about that clone jutsu?" Naruto received a 'Hn' from the Uchiha. "Okay, look this way and activate your sharingan. This is the Daichi Bunshin no Jutsu. The clones aren't as fast as shadow or water clones but they can take a lickin' and keep on kickin'!" Naruto exclaimed as he went through the hand-seals. As soon as he finished a mound of dirt rose from the floor and took his shape, even looking like him thanks to a simple henge.

Sasuke had watched intently with his sharingan and went through the hand-seals when Naruto was done. Soon enough there was another Sasuke in the area. "Hn, simple, my clone's even better than yours." Sasuke said cockily.

"Oh really, lets see which ones stronger then! Attack the clone!" Naruto ordered his clone, pointing at the Sasuke earth clone. To which Sasuke gave the same order to his clone. The two started walking to each other and then taking a fighting stance. Naruto moved over to sit next to Sakura so he would be comfortable to watch the show and wait for the info from his clones.

* * *

Kiba, Hinata and Shino had just procured the scroll they needed thanks to the ingenious use of giant leeches to weaken their opponents and then trap them in a net. "Man! That was so easy, now all we have to do is head for the tower and we're done!" Kiba exclaimed as he looked at their two scrolls, Akamaru traveling silently on his head.

"Keep the scrolls hidden and keep quiet Kiba! If you keep being that loud we'll lose those two scrolls." Shino ordered in his monotone to the dog user, who instantly placed the two scrolls in his jacket. "I also feel that I should inform the two of you that we are being watched." Shino turned and pointed to a tree branch. "From over there." He finished as his teammates looked over to where he had specified.

The two were on high alert instantly as they heard some leaves rustling. Akamaru growled lightly at the area until Hinata gasped. Kiba looked over and saw that she had a slight blush and her Byakugan active. "Should have known that Shino would find us easily." Naruto's voice said from the branches as not one but two Narutos appeared.

"Naruto and... Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as he looked between the two.

"We're not the real ones," one clone started, "We're just clones looking for some weaker teams to nab a scroll from." The other finished. "What about you guys? Did you get the scroll you need already?"

"H-hai, w-we procured a scroll f-from another team from A-Ame." Hinata stuttered out as she looked from one clone to the other the blush on her face remaining in place.

"Are you going to try and take the scroll you need from us?" Shino asked in a monotone as he looked blankly at the two.

"Wha? No! I already said that I want all of us to get through these exams together as far as possible. The real one's gonna be happy to hear that you guys have the scroll you need, plus your team isn't weak so it would be too much trouble to try and get the scroll from the three of you." One clone explained.

"Either way, we'll just tell the boss about your luck and leave you guys be, see ya!" The other clone told them just before they both went up in smoke.

"That was... weird." Kiba stated almost quietly.

"There is no need to continue pondering about them we need to get to the tower." Shino stated as he started walking away.

"Yeah, yeah, come on Hinata, before Mr. Personality leaves us in the dust." Kiba said as he followed.

Kiba's statement caused Hinata to break from her daydreaming of being with two Narutos. "H-hai! I'm coming K-Kiba-kun." She called as she jogged lightly to catch up faster.

* * *

Naruto lifted his head slightly and got a far away look in his eye until he broke into a grin and looked back at the earth clone fight happening in front of him. _'So, they already have a scroll. I wonder if all Ame nin are easy to beat? I guess I'll find out if the clones find some.' _He thought as he watched his clone dodge another attack and land two of it's own.

"Senpai, what happened just now? You went weird for a second." Sakura asked, her voice showing a slight concern.

He looked over quickly and turned back to the fight. "It's nothing Sakura-chan, a couple of my clones just dispelled themselves and gave me some interesting information. Nothing to worry about." He replied cheerily. His reply caused Sakura to smile and turn back to the fight herself.

* * *

Naruto's clones were searching almost everywhere. Some had found teams that were on the move so they tracked them while others had found nothing and dispelled themselves because they were moving too far away to be useful. They'd been searching for good few hours and team 7 had so far been relaxing and one even taking a nap once the earth clone fight was over.

The nap didn't last long as Sakura was woken up by Naruto just touching her on the shoulder in a way that told her to be alert. "Are there bugs on me or something Naruto-kun?" Sakura's question being a cryptic one meaning, 'Are there enemies about and where are they?'.

"Yeah, you've got some spiders in your hair, Sakura-chan." Naruto's answer was equally as cryptic, meaning, 'Yeah, they're hanging on to the trees above us.'

Sasuke had already noticed the ninja above them and was currently just waiting and watching, his hand resting on a shuriken holder. Making sure his teammates weren't attacked while conversing. Sakura, after receiving the info she needed to know, sat up and put a hand through her hair while the other hand went to her senbon and kunai holster. Naruto's hands were nearing each other ready to form a hand-seal.

The three were waiting until they all knew exactly where their targets were, the sign to go came when Sakura dropped her hand from her hair threw a pair of kunai directly upward. Sakura's kunai were followed closely by shuriken launched by Sasuke. "SCATTER!" Came the surprised voice of one of the nins that were shadowing them.

Naruto leapt to his feet, shouting, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He created five clones that instantly drew their broadswords and took up defensive positions around Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. "Sasuke, you see where they went?" The real Naruto asked as he took two kunai from his hidden holsters and held one in each hand, the one in his left reversed to point downward, ready to fight.

"I know where two went but I missed the third. There's one to your left and another to my right." Sasuke informed his teammates.

"Oooooh, you guys are good. It'll make taking your scroll even better." A disembodied voice called from the forest.

"You got that right. How do you want to do this? Quick and easy? Or do you wanna have some fun?" Another voice called from Naruto's left.

"I have an idea, how about the three of you come out here and stop playing games? My teammate may have missed one of you but I've got a pretty good 'feeling' about where you are... and it looks like you've got company." Naruto called out into the forest.

"What are you talking-HUH!" Came a surprised cry.

"Make one wrong move and I'll slit your throat." Sasuke's voice stated from the trees. "Now tell your teammates to come out of hiding and give my teammates your scroll."

"Nice one Teme, I wondered if you'd take that opportunity to sneak off." Naruto announced as the Sasuke next to him collapsed into dirt and rocks.

Chuckling was heard from the same area Sasuke's voice had come from. "What's so funny?" Sasuke growled to the nin he had snuck up on. From the hitai-ite on the nins forehead he could tell he was a ninja from Kusa. The nin wore some dark green sandals and pants that were wrapped off with some bandages at the ends. He had some kind of straw plates covering his shoulders and thighs and a light green shirt covering his torso. His hands and forearms were covered in the same straw plates with some kind of daggers on the underside of each forearm, he also had a utility pouch on his left hip. His head was bald except for the small braid coming from the back of his head.

"You, you really think it's that easy to capture me? A kunai to the throat how original." The nin told Sasuke before he collapsed into a pile of grass.

"Bunshin!?" Sasuke exclaimed before he was struck from behind and flew towards Naruto and Sakura's position. He landed and rolled a few feet away from the formation of Naruto clones as two of them ran out to defend him.

"You okay Teme?" Naruto called from within the circle of clones.

"Fine, Dobe." Sasuke muttered as he got up and drew a kunai.

"So, these guys have some skill, huh?" Naruto asked again as he scanned the area, trying to keep up with the enemies movements.

"You better believe it blondie." Came a feminine voice.

"They're from Kusa, the one I was up against used some kind of grass bunshin to fool me." Sasuke informed his teammates.

"Got it, grass bunshin." Naruto said back as he continued to follow their movements. "Okay this is enough playing around, Sakura-chan, are you ready?" He asked turning to the pink haired kunoichi.

"Hai!" Came Sakura's reply as she held up a handful of senbon and a handful of shuriken.

"Alright, GO!" Naruto called out, his clones immediately dashed into the trees and headed for their targets. Half a second after the clones made it to the trees a few pops of them being dispelled were heard and a barrage of what seemed to be blades of grass came at them from all directions. Naruto and Sakura flew in opposite directions to avoid the projectiles. Naruto ran up a tree headed for one of the grass nins. He reached the top and came face to face with the kunoichi of the team from Kusa. She wasn't much older than him, she was wearing basically the same as the other grass nin except she had the grass plates covering her chest as well as her shoulders and thighs. Her kunai holsters were on her thighs, a large pouch held on to her belt over backside and she had her dark green hair tied back in a ponytail.

"So I get blondie?" She said as she took the blade of grass she'd been chewing out of her mouth. She chuckled lightly and threw the blade of grass at him.

Naruto saw the attack coming and simply tilted his head to the side allowing the projectile to pass by his head harmlessly. "Yup! You got me!" He announced as he dropped into a low stance and held the kunai out in front of him.

* * *

Sakura had also run up a tree when she dodged the initial attack. She wasn't greeted in as friendly a way as Naruto, as soon as she reached the branch the Kusa nin was on, she was on the defensive. This Kusa nin wore basically the same as the others except he had no straw plates covering his shoulders just his thighs. He had the same hairstyle as the other male nin except his braid was shorter and the top of his head was covered in bandages. In place of the straw plates it appeared he had grass growing on his shoulders and along his back.

The strange thing is, he kept plucking blades of grass from his back and throwing them at Sakura, she would either dodge or deflect the hits but wherever they hit they would pierce, deeply. The grass would seem to grow back as soon as he plucked it and sometimes would grow larger. "What the hell are you? A moving plant pot?" Sakura screeched as she hurled a handful of shuriken only for them to be deflected by more grass projectiles.

"No, it's a Kekkei Genkai." The Kusa nin told her in a monotone.

"Not much of a talker I see." Sakura muttered as she dodged another barrage of grass projectiles.

* * *

Sasuke was still standing where he'd been knocked to. He had no need to dodge the barrage as he had been well clear of the target area. He turned quickly and deflected some kunai with his own. "So I'm stuck with you again, huh?" Sasuke stated as he looked at his attacker.

"Yep, Pinky got pretty unlucky with my friend but the one with the swords got it easy with our kunoichi." The Kusa nin stated as he sized up Sasuke while slowly stepping around him.

"How'd you figure that?" Sasuke asked as he too sized up his opponent and took out another kunai.

"Cause the kunoichi of our team likes to end things quickly and painlessly, while my friend likes to use his Kekkei Genkai to the fullest and torture his opponent." The Kusa nin told him as he drew one of the daggers from the underside of his forearm.

"What Kekkei Genkai would that be?" Sasuke asked, his interest actually piqued by this bit of information.

"His clan can grow a type of grass from their backs and shoulders. It's a little different from normal grass though. The molecular structure is set up in such a way that it becomes stronger than steel, not to mention the chakra that's infused in it when they grow it rapidly. Did I mention they can also control the size of the grass blades when they grow them forcefully? 'Cause that's how I came across my daggers here." The nin stated as he held out his drawn dagger.

Sasuke looked at the dagger only for a moment and saw that it was indeed an overgrown blade of grass that had been bound at the bottom so it could be wielded. _'The Dobe had better taught Sakura well.' _He thought before he activated his sharingan and made the first move.

* * *

Sakura wasn't in a good mood. She'd used up all her heavy projectiles, shuriken and kunai, all she had left were her senbon and those wouldn't be very helpful against this guy. She would only use senbon when her opponent was disarmed and exhausted or in conjunction with heavier projectiles in the hopes that the heavier ones would distract the target from the smaller senbon. Not only had she run out but she'd been hit a couple of times as well. They weren't life threatening in anyway, but they stung like a bitch. _'I can't hit him with ranged attacks thanks to all that grass of his but maybe I would have a better chance up close. Then again he'd have a better chance at hitting me with those grass weapons of his. What can I do!?' _She thought desperately as she dodged another bunch of thrown grass.

The grass laden nin just watched his prey with uninterested eyes. _'Maybe I should stop toying and start playing. I'm starting to get bored.' _He thought as he doubled the number of grass projectiles he threw and started to make them larger.

* * *

Naruto stood over the now paralyzed form of his opponent. "That was easier than I thought it would be." He stated to himself as he squatted over his opponent and looked through the pouch that had been held behind her back.

It was a quick fight, she had dashed at him and attempted to end it quickly with a kunai to the throat. She thought she had him since she had also used some kind of ninjutsu that caused some vines to grow from the tree and hold him. Imagine her surprise when the Naruto she attacked puffed out of existence and she was knocked out by a swift chop to the neck.

When she went out cold the ninjutsu dropped and it was shown the 'vines' were actually wires that had been made to look like vines with the jutsu. Naruto placed a strong paralysis seal on her and that was that.

"Damn!" Naruto muttered to himself as he retracted a hand from the pouch. _'No scroll, that means one of the others has it or... she's hidden it somewhere else on her 'person'. I'll leave that for Sakura to check. Speaking of which, I wonder how she and the Teme are doing?' _He thought as he created a clone that hefted the kunoichi on its shoulder and followed it's creator away from the scene.

* * *

Sasuke's sharingan made dodging his opponents strikes the easiest thing in the world. For starters his opponents speed was nothing compared to Rock Lee and second, even a none sharingan user could see the attacks coming from a mile away, _'Even the Dobe could dodge these attacks.' _He thought as he dodged to the left of a stab.

Duck under a horizontal slash, back flip from an upward slash and dodge right from another stab. "Come on stay still, afraid to get cut?" The Kusa nin jeered. This caused Sasuke to get a little pissed and a little cocky. The Kusa nin went for another horizontal slash, instead of trying to dodge this time, Sasuke just brought up his kunai to block.

He had to act fast when the dagger hit because it started to shred through his kunai and almost cut his arm off. He flipped away before it connected. _'This guys daggers are lethal! They cut through my kunai like they were butter!' _Sasuke thought as he threw away a kunai that had half the blade cut off.

"Guess you found out about the incredible sharpness of these things, huh? Then again they're not just sharp, if you've ever seen a blade of grass close up, you'd see the edges are serrated. These things aren't any different!" The Kusa nin announced as he held up both of the green daggers. He'd drawn the second a few seconds into the fight.

Sasuke just glared at his opponent as he drew another kunai, his mind was running through all kinds of plans. He would have kept on going through all those plans had he not remembered a small piece of information the nin had given him. _'The blades, they may be stronger than steel but they're still organic matter.' _He thought suddenly as he stared at the daggers before the Kusa nin lunged at him.

* * *

Sakura was also coming to this conclusion as she was trying to defeat her opponent. _'Just like senpai said, think about your jutsus, everything you can do and what you know of the situation and an idea will come to you.' _She thought as she dodged more of the grass projectiles by diving behind a tree. She had dropped her weights, favoring for the extra speed to dodge the weapons.

_'How'd she get faster like that? A few seconds ago she could barely dodge my throws now she dancing around like they're going in slow motion.' _The Kusa nin thought, frustrated at his prey.

_'That grass on his back may be strong but because of that it has less moisture in it. That should make it easier to burn. All I have to do is get a clear shot with a Katon or an explosive tag and his back will go up in flames.' _She thought as she prepared to do hand-seals.

* * *

_'The problem is how can I get clear shot if he's always moving?' _Sasuke thought as he dodged another swipe of his opponents daggers.

"Hold still and I promise to make this quick and painless, hell, if you give me your scroll we might just let you go alive!" The Kusa nin yelled as he kept up his dagger swipes.

"If you think I'll just give you our scroll then you've got another thing coming!" Sasuke yelled as he ducked under a swipe and went for a leg sweep which hit it's mark. The Kusa nin fell to the side and plunged his daggers into the ground to avoid eating dirt. Sasuke quickly followed up with kick to the downed ninja's gut sending him back a few feet and leaving the daggers in the ground. "Looks like I have my opening." Sasuke stated as he stored his kunai, picked the two daggers from the dirt and threw them up in the air. He sped through eight hand-seals and finished on the Tora hand-seal, shouting, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" He took in a deep breath and blew out a large volume of flames, engulfing the air-born grass daggers and incinerating them.

"That jutsu! It's supposed to take a lot a chakra! Too much chakra that a rookie like you should have!" The Kusa nin gasped as he got on his knees, holding his stomach.

He looked back at the Kusa nin, when he stopped spewing flames, his sharingan blazing. He started walking towards the downed Kusa nin as he spoke. "I guess I should tell you. I'm no ordinary rookie, I'm Uchiha Sasuke and you lost the moment you stepped into this fight!" Sasuke informed the nin as he locked eyes with him.

"Uchiha!? Of the sharingan!? Kuso! Midori! Hideki! Regroup, we're retrea-" The nin shouted before Sasuke caught up to him and slammed a foot in the side of his head, knocking him out.

"I don't think so. You guys may have the scroll we need and I'm not giving that up. I need to get through this for more power." Sasuke told the unconscious Kusa nin. He was about to search the nins clothes before a clapping sound reverberated from behind him. He flicked out a kunai and spun around to come face to face with... two Narutos!

"Nice work Teme! I was wondering if I was gonna have to step in on that one. You did good!" One Naruto announced.

Sasuke just lowered his head with a smirk as he stored his kunai again. "Hn. Of course, I'm surprised you got through though, Dobe." He replied in a superior tone.

"Are you kidding me? She went straight for the kill! No actual planning or tiring down, just straight for the kill! She didn't even use that grass bunshin you mentioned! Easy take down." Naruto replied back as he pointed a thumb at the prone Kusa kunoichi. "You hear anything with Sakura's fight?" He asked as he walked toward Sasuke's fallen opponent.

"No, we better go look for her. This guy told me her opponent has a Kekkei Genkai. She might need help." As soon as the last word left Sasuke's mouth, a small explosion came from their right and a Kusa nin with flames covering his back landed a few feet from them, screaming. Sakura soon showed up right behind him throwing a pair of senbon into his neck putting him in the near-death state. The flames died down almost immediately as Sakura looked away from the downed nin.

Sasuke stared, open-mouthed, at Sakura now. "What?" She asked with her own questioning stare and blush, seeing as she had all his attention.

* * *

_A few seconds earlier..._

_'Okay, it's time.' _Sakura thought as she flew through five hand-seals finishing on a Tori hand-seal and leapt from behind the tree.

"Got you." The Kusa nin stated as he took aim and threw another barrage of the grass from his back at her.

"No, got you! Futon: Gorikki Kaze no Jutsu! (Strong Wind Jutsu)" Sakura yelled before she took a deep breath and blew out a raging wind that blew the grass off course and caused the Kusa nin to stumble back and fall off the branch. That was the moment Sakura needed, the Kusa nin's back was shown to her as he was falling off the branch. She flew through a set of three hand-seals, ending on Tora hand-seal this time, and shouted out, "Katon: Bakudan! (Exploding Shot)" She took in another large breath and blew out again. This time a single fireball erupted from her mouth and impacted with the Kusa nin's back, causing a small explosion and engulfing the nin's back in flames.

"Arhg! You bitch!" The Kusa nin screamed as he flew toward the clearing where Sakura and her team had originated. She leapt off the branch she was standing on, trying to catch up with the flying nin. Which she did when he had landed a few feet from her teammates. She flicked a pair of senbon at the nins neck and put him in the near-death state.

Sakura looked up from her opponent and the flames died down. She had looked up because she felt someone looking at her. She blushed when she looked up because it was Sasuke that was looking at her. "What?" She asked innocently. Almost instantly after her question, she fainted.

* * *

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. "Hey there Sakura-chan! Good to see you're awake. Here, you better have one of these. Looks like you used some jutsu that took a lot of chakra." Naruto said as he held out a soldier pill.

Sakura took the soldier pill with her mouth since her arms felt like dead weights. She chewed it slowly and swallowed just as slowly. "Arigatou, Senpai." Sakura said as she could feel energy rushing back into her limbs.

"No problem, I found your weights for you, by the way. You don't have to put them back on yet though, I've kept em in my scroll until you're back to your best." Naruto told her as he patted the scroll that was behind his back. Sakura just nodded as she got up from the tree she was propped up on and stretched her arms. "I also picked up some of the kunai and shuriken you used against that guy. I couldn't find all of them and some were trashed. I patched up the cuts you got the best I could. You know me, no use in medical jutsu or treatment." He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sakura giggled lightly. "Yeah, I know, I'll heal myself later. Did you get the scroll from them?" She asked as she received the kunai and shuriken and started storing them back in the various holsters.

"No, me and Sasuke checked the two guys but we couldn't find anything. I think the kunoichi of their team has it. We waited until you woke up so you could search her?" Naruto asked with a sheepish grin.

"You better have waited! After finding out about your Oiroke Jutsu I'm starting to think you're a pervert!" Sakura growled as she held an accusing finger toward Naruto.

"I am not a pervert! I only used that jutsu once to embarrass a pervert!" Naruto whimpered back as he waved his hands in front of him defensively.

"Yeah, but you created it. Forget it, I don't have the energy right now. Where are they?" Sakura asked tiredly.

Naruto just gestured for her to follow and soon enough they were in another small clearing. The three Kusa genin were lade out next to each other on the ground. The kunoichi known as Midori was awake but didn't move one inch. Next to her was the one that had used the daggers, he was also awake but not moving. Lastly was the one with the Kekkei Genkai, known as Hideki, he was still unconscious and was laying on his stomach since he had the burns on his back. Sasuke was leaning against a tree trunk as he watched over the three.

Sakura walked over to the unmoving kunoichi and knelt down when she reached her. "Hey there, I'm gonna be searching you for your scroll in a few minutes. My teammates have already searched your teammates and found nothing, that leaves you. If you tell me where you're hiding the scroll, we might leave you with weapons to defend yourselves with and release one of you from the paralysis seal affecting you right now. That way you could defend the other two until the seals on them wear off. So, are you gonna tell me? Or am I gonna have to search you and then we leave the three of you laying here helplessly, to be eaten by any animal that might come along?" Sakura asked sweetly, too sweetly for such a question.

The Kusa kunoichi had a slightly shocked and fearful look in her eyes when she replied. "You wouldn't! You're bluffing!"

"Try us." Naruto stated coldly.

"Sakura stop messing about and just search her already! There's a bush over there if you need to take her clothes off." Sasuke stated just as coldly as he pointed to a bush a few feet away.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you! But could we go over to the bushes please, you're gonna have to take some of my clothes of to get it." The captured kunoichi almost yelled out in a pleading tone.

Sakura smiled a little as she addressed Midori again. "Glad to hear it." She said just before she lifted Midori over her shoulder and carried her over to the aforementioned bushes.

The only thing going through Naruto and Sasuke's minds at that time was, _'I hope their scroll is the one we need.'_

* * *

Well what did you think? Were the fight scenes too quick and small or were they okay? And I'm not sure but maybe I should bump this fic up to M rating thanks to that 'Adult' situation at the start there.


	20. A Dangerous New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 20 – A Dangerous New Enemy

* * *

**Last time:**

Sakura smiled a little as she addressed Midori again. "Glad to hear it." She said just before she lifted Midori over her shoulder and carried her over to the aforementioned bushes.

The only thing going through Naruto and Sasuke's minds at that time was, _'I hope their scroll is the one we need.'_

**This Chapter:**

"I can't believe it!" Naruto shouted as they were leaping through the trees, having left Midori to defend her teammates about half an hour ago. "First team we go up against and they have to have the same scroll as ours!" He was screaming more to himself than his teammates.

"Shut it Dobe or your gonna attract someone else!" Sasuke spat back to him.

"It doesn't matter Naruto-kun. There was always a fifty percent chance of getting the same scroll. We were just unlucky enough to get it." Sakura tried to explain to her annoyed teammate. "Besides, we could trade it for the scroll we need or just keep it so another team can't make it through!" She exclaimed, trying to cheer him up.

Naruto just nodded his head slightly while letting the annoyed look pass from his face. "Yeah, that's true, I guess."

After travelling further into the forest they stopped in a hollow of a tree to rest and so Sakura could reattach her weights. "I'll watch out for any enemies and we'll head out again in a while. I don't wanna be found again, I want to be the one to surprise our opponents next time." Sasuke told the two as he sat himself just inside the entrance of the hollow.

Naruto wasn't complaining. This was the most rest he'd had in a while compared to all the training he did. Soon enough the humidity in the forest coupled with boredom caused Naruto to drift off to sleep.

* * *

_Naruto was back on the bridge in wave again, except, there was no Zabuza this time. The thugs were there just like last time, all of them looking mean and ready to attack. That is before Naruto tapped into Kyuubi's power again and activated the three kitsune based jutsu he had. One of his tails wrapped itself around his zanbatō as it appeared next him and he grasped it with his right hand. All the men now looked like they were going to wet their pants and run away but none of them did._

"_**Now, who's first?" **A demonic version Naruto's voice spoke out as he licked his lips hungrily, a sadistic smile adorning his face. He charged into the group and started hacking and slashing at them causing their blood to spew out and cover him. He savored the feel and look of it as it dripped from his chakra made claws. He reveled in the look of fear and pain in each of his targets eye's. He took that look away when he drove a claw into one of the targets faces._

_He almost chuckled with delight at the reactions of his prey when he killed them. How some gurgled when he attacked their throat and others just froze when he drove his clawed hand through their gut. Still, how others screamed in fear and pain as they were constricted by his free tails. The group of thugs seemed never ending._

_Except that wasn't Naruto. Naruto was watching all this unfold through his doppelganger's eyes and felt what it felt. He didn't like it at all. He was afraid of these feelings, afraid that he was really feeling them and not the doppelganger. He wanted to stop it, to throw up from all the blood and try to help these poor men from being slaughtered. He was about to scream out when he felt himself be shaken slightly and someone call out his name._

* * *

"...ruto-kun? Naruto-kun are you all right?" Came Sakura's concerned voice as she tried to rouse her blonde teammate.

"Huh? I'm up. What's the matter?" Naruto asked as he yawned slightly and rubbed his eyes.

"You were twitching and scrunching up your face while you were asleep. It looked like you were having a nightmare. Was it really bad?" Sakura answered in the same concerned tone of voice.

"Nah, it was just a dream Sakura-chan. It was nothing, I'm fine, really!" Naruto told her as he grinned and put his hands behind his head, trying to quell her concerns.

"Okay, if you say so, Naruto-kun." Sakura told him before she went back to sit in her spot. She didn't really believe his statement, she was still worried, as was evident from the frown on her face.

Naruto just leaned his head back against the inside of the tree as he thought back over the nightmare. _'The same one again. It's a change from the usual replays of my beatings but why have I been having that nightmare ever since that mission?' _He brought a hand up to his right temple and rubbed it lightly. _'Was that really me? Was that really how it happened back at the bridge? Did I really enjoy killing those guys?' _He thought as he looked at his hands, imagining the blood on them. _'No! I did it to protect the town in wave country, to protect the bridge, to protect my teammates and complete the mission! It was in self-defence, I did the right thing!' _He thought as he clenched his fists, only to have another doubtful thought enter his mind. _'Didn't I?' _His hands opened up again at that thought.

He didn't have much time to think about it as Sakura spoke to him again. "Senpai? I've been thinking about what happened against those Kusa nin and I was wondering, how could we have known that the three of us are who we say we are? Anyone of us could have been beaten back there and a Kusa nin could have taken our place with a henge. How do we tell the difference if we're separated again?" She asked as her hand came to her chin.

"She's got a point there, Dobe. We need a password or something that only we know so we can identify each other." Sasuke announced as he turned his head to look over the two.

Naruto only needed a second to think about what they could do when he pulled out the ink pot that held the seal making ink he used. "We'll use this to place a symbol on each other that's hidden from view! Then we just have to ask to see each others symbol and we know it's us!" He exclaimed as he held the pot out.

"Yeah and what if the ink smudges, Dobe? Then we can't read the symbol." Sasuke scoffed.

"You really think I'm that stupid? Don't answer that!" Naruto said quickly as he saw Sasuke about to say something. "This ink is specially made for seal making. All it needs is a few seconds to dry and then it won't ever smudge, unless you use a special solvent to wash it off. So it's pretty safe to assume the symbols will stay in place, Teme." Naruto shot back.

"Fine, we'll use that." Sasuke replied.

"Okay, turn around again. I'll put the symbol under your collar, Teme. I'm not gonna tell you what it is either just as an extra precaution. Sakura come on over so you know what it is as well." He told Sakura as he lifted the collar of Sasuke's shirt to write on his bare shoulder. In the end it turned out to be the kanji for 'Teme' which caused Sakura to stifle a giggle.

"You better not have written what I think you have Dobe." Sasuke threatened from his seated position.

"Why, whatever could you mean Teme? I would never do anything to embarrass the great Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto replied in a mocking tone and chuckling at the end. After a few seconds of letting the ink dry, Naruto dropped Sasuke's collar to cover the symbol and hide it from enemies. "Okay, Sakura-chan you next." Naruto announced as he turned to her. Sasuke turned around as well to see what Naruto would mark her with. He lifted Sakura's ponytail and pulled down the collar of her dress to write on her back. He wrote the kanji for 'Pink', let it dry for a couple of seconds and then covered it again with Sakura's dress and hair.

"Your turn now Dobe." Sasuke said as he turned to Naruto with a slight glint in his eye.

"Actually, I already have a marking so I won't need one." Naruto replied as he tried to keep the ink pot.

"Oh no you don't senpai. You know what the marking is so it's not fair. Now let us mark you." Sakura said as she grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the ink pot.

Naruto sighed in defeat, he knew she was right. "Alright, but Sakura-chan is the one that's gonna mark me I don't trust you, Teme." Naruto said as he pointed accusingly at Sasuke.

Sasuke huffed lightly. "Fine." Sakura grabbed the ink pot and proceeded to lift Naruto's vest and mesh shirt. She quickly wrote the kanji for 'Senpai' and would have left it at that, before Sasuke swiped the brush from her and wrote the kanji for 'Dobe' right next to it. Sasuke gestured for her to not say anything while she was stifling another giggle. She allowed the ink to dry a few seconds before dropping Naruto's mesh shirt and his vest.

Naruto would have gone back to his seating spot after storing the ink but Sasuke stood up and addressed both of them. "Come on let's head out again, we've rested enough." He told the two as he walked out of the hollow and onto the branch. That was all the encouragement that Naruto needed as he almost leapt to his feet and got on the branch outside the hollow, soon followed by Sakura.

* * *

They'd been traveling for a good couple of hours now. Granted, they were moving sluggishly through the branches so they weren't getting that much closer to the tower. They didn't need to get there that quickly, after all it was still the first day! "I think we should stop Teme. We should wait for my clones to tell me where the other teams are now. It's almost sundown and some of the other teams will probably be calling it a day soon. It'll be our best chance to catch them by surprise and get their scroll." Naruto called to Sasuke as he followed behind him.

Sasuke stopped on the branch he landed on as did Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke turned to them quickly and spoke. "If we wait, most of the other teams will probably get their scroll and head for the tower. That'll leave us without any targets, Dobe."

"No, since I sent out my clones about half of them dispersed themselves because they couldn't find anyone. That means there are about ten teams out there that are being trailed by my clones. All we have to do is wait for just one of those ten or so teams to stop and rest and we'll head straight for them." Naruto said calmly as he counted the teams off until only one finger was left.

"How can you be so sure we'll reach them in time before they move off again?" Sasuke spat back.

"Why do you think I made them pair off when they went after them? If they move off the remaining clone is to follow the team. Besides, I gave my clones instructions to only go a certain set distance so they wouldn't be too far aw... do you hear that?" Naruto asked suddenly, breaking from his retort.

"I don't hear anything Dobe. Don't try and change the subject just because you can't win this argument." Sasuke spat as he glared at the blonde who was now turned away.

"Shut it Teme!" Naruto spat back before he dropped down to the forest floor and placed an ear to the ground.

Sasuke and Sakura soon followed, looking at him apprehensively. Sakura had only seen him act like this when there was immediate or probable danger. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm not sure, it sounds like there's something coming but I've never heard anything like that before." Naruto said as he brought his face from the ground.

Sasuke activated his sharingan and stared into the distance, hoping to prove his teammate and rival wrong. What he saw made him shout out in something other than annoyance though. "TAKE COVER!"

Naruto looked behind him to see Sasuke leap off to the side and Sakura follow a split second later. He looked back forward and saw debris of all kinds flying toward him on a strong wind. All he thought as he ran through some hand-seals was, _'Aw, Kuso!'. _He finished his hand-seals and crouched down with both his hands on the floor as a thick wall of earth rose in front of him. The wind hit the wall with an audible thud and caused some of the outer edges to crumble and fly off. He saw the pieces fly off behind him and another thought crossed his mind. _'How strong is that god-damned wind jutsu!?'_

* * *

Off in the distance where the jutsu had originated from, the three Kusa nin that had straw hats were standing with their kunoichi in the middle holding her hands up in a seal. She felt the small wall of earth in the distance interfere with her jutsu. "Interesting, but that's not going to be enough!" She hissed before she adjusted the hand-seal and concentrated the winds she had summoned on the small wall that protected Naruto.

* * *

Naruto only had a split second to act when the wall he had created snapped off at the base thanks to the concentrated winds. He hopped slightly off the ground and attached himself to the slab of dirt with his chakra. He adjusted his weight to tilt the slab so he was now lying on top of it as he flew along with the winds. He steadily stood up on the slab as he tried to control the slabs flight and bring it to a skidding halt.

It didn't quite go according to plan, as the slab decided to crash straight into the ground and shatter. Naruto was forced to hop off and start running with the wind. That is until he tripped and started tumbling, the wind pushing him along. "Stu-tu-pid wi-wi-nd ju-jutsu!" He yelled as he tumbled along like a tumbleweed.

He got his bearings back after the first hundred rolls and managed to stop himself safely by landing horizontally on a tree, using his chakra to stick to the bark. _'That was close! Wonder how far I was blown away?' _He thought as he looked back the way he'd come from. "Guess I better start back to meet up with the Teme and Sakura again." He said before leaping off the tree and landing in the middle of the path that was carved up from the wind jutsu.

He started walking down the path before stopping abruptly again, his nose twitching. _'That smell... it's the same one that was coming from Anko, Kabuto and his guys. Where's it coming from this time?' _He thought as he looked around and started listening intently for any movement in the forest.

His eyes, ears and nose finally settled on an area to his left and he reached for his broadswords when the bushes started moving. After a few tense seconds something emerged and a few words escaped his lips. "Damn, I'm gonna need a bigger sword..."

* * *

Sasuke was laying on his stomach behind some bushes when the wind died down and Naruto had been blown away. "Stupid, Dobe." He muttered. He heard someone coming up behind him snapped around with a kunai in hand.

Sakura had followed Sasuke when he'd jumped away but he'd still managed to evade her when he landed. She'd found him hiding in the bushes when he'd snapped around and brandished a kunai at her. "Sasuke-kun, it's me."

"Show me your symbol so I can be sure." He told her as he held the kunai steady in front of him.

Sakura did as she was told and pulled her hair back and the back of her dress down to show the kanji for 'Pink'. She covered it back up when Sasuke said it was okay. "What about you? Show me your symbol so I know it's really you!" Sakura shot back as she pulled out her own kunai this time.

Sasuke was a little surprised at first since he expected her to just accept him as the real one, even without revealing symbol. He eventually obliged, he turned around and pulled down his collar to show the 'Teme' kanji. "There, it's me." He muttered as he let the collar bounce back up to cover the symbol. Sakura relaxed the arm holding her kunai and walked up to him.

"Did you see what happened to Naruto-kun?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, the Dobe tried to block that wind and got blown away by it instead." Sasuke answered.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two they were being watched throughout their conversation by the three Kusa nin that had attacked them. The three were squatting down on a branch over the two. "So, they have ways to identify each other. Clever, but a simple method. I think I know exactly what the blonde one was marked with." The kunoichi of the team mused. She stood up and addressed her teammates. "Spread out to the surrounding forest and keep your eyes open. I'll handle this alone." She ordered them before dropping off the branch.

* * *

Naruto leapt off the branch as soon as he landed and watched as the creatures enormous tail smashed through the branch he had been on. _'There's no way this thing is a normal snake. It's moving too fast and it's way too big.' _He thought as he sailed through the air and landed on another tree's trunk. Again he had to leap away, this time to dodge the snake's gaping mouth trying to swallow him whole.

"Dammit! All I need is one second to get what I need!" He muttered to himself as he was flipping away. "Fine, time to bring on the clones." Naruto brought his hands together as soon as he landed on another branch. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled as six clones appeared. "Keep him occupied!" Was all he said before all of them leapt in separate directions to avoid the tail coming for their general direction.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura snapped their heads around when they heard someone running up behind them. They both watched as Naruto appeared through some bushes. "Hey guys! Are you okay!" He yelled to them while running up.

"Hold it, Dobe. Show us your symbol!" Sasuke snapped as he held out his kunai again.

"Oh, right." Naruto turned around and was going to lift his vest. Both Sasuke and Sakura flicked their kunai at him, only for him to hop to the side and land on his ass. "What the hell are you two doing? That could have killed me!" He yelled from his spot on the ground, looking from one to the other the whole time.

* * *

Naruto had finally gotten the snake more interested in his clones than in him. He was currently hiding in the higher branches, studying the snake's movements. "That settles it, this thing's a summon or a henge'd nin or something. In other words, time to bring out the heavy artillery." He snatched out a scroll, unrolled it and unsealed his zanbatō. He stalled for a moment before diving in for the kill. _'How come there's no one around to see and hear me being cool at times like this?' _He thought as he hefted the zanbatō on his shoulder.

_**'Hey, I'm here. Besides you should be more focused on killing that thing instead of how cool you look!' **_Kyuubi scolded him.

_'Touché.' _He looked back down at the remaining four clones since two had been destroyed. He waited for the right moment to attack. When it came he leapt off his branch, holding Kubikiri Hōchō over his head, ready to use it for it's name sake as he flew down toward the snake like an eagle for it's prey. He was almost there, a few more feet and he could get rid of the snake. Until it turned to face him and opened it's mouth.

* * *

"I'll admit, you're pretty good to have figured out how we were using symbols the way we did but it still wasn't good enough." Sasuke ranted to the Naruto imposter.

"Knowing Naruto-kun, he wouldn't have bothered showing us his symbol because he doesn't like showing his back to anyone without good reason. He would have probably said something like, 'Take it easy Teme it's me!' or demanded that we show ours first." Sakura clarified as she reached for another kunai and some senbon.

"The Dobe wouldn't have dodged the way you did either. He only dodges if he really has to, but that attack would have allowed him to deflect the kunai with one of his swords." Sasuke finished off as the imposter broke into a grin completely unlike Naruto's.

"Aren't you the clever ones?" A feminine voice spoke from Naruto's mouth before a large plume of smoke engulfed the Naruto. "You certainly seem close to your teammate. Why would you need the symbols if you wouldn't bother to check his?" The same voice spoke out before the kunoichi from Kusa, with the straw hat, was shown from the dispersing smoke.

"The symbols are just precautionary measures, a last resort if we really can't tell if there's an imposter among us. They're just a part of the test to sniff out imposters, it's especially good if an enemy knows about them and tries to copy them. In a way it becomes a trap, and you fell right into it!" Sasuke boasted as he too drew a few kunai.

"Impressive, neither of you have dropped your guard have you? This will be very entertaining." The kunoichi stated as she took off her straw hat and licked the rim of it.

* * *

Naruto was currently in a very annoying position, when the snake turned to him and opened it's mouth he had no way to change direction which meant he was stuck. He was able to keep himself out of the snake's belly at the last moment, thankfully. He managed to plant his feet on the snake's lower jaw and pushed up with the flat side of Kubikiri Hōchō to hold the top jaw at bay. "Damn you stink! What did you eat!?" He exclaimed, damning his enhanced sense of smell in this situation.

_**'So, how are you going to get out of this. I told you to be more focused on your enemy.' **_Kyuubi scolded yet again.

_'You know me, I like to fly by the seat of my pants!' _Naruto answered back. _'Besides, I already have an idea.' _With that Naruto shifted slightly so he could bring one hand in front of him. "Alright, lets see how strong you are! Kai!" He yelled down the snake's throat. A few seconds passed silently before suddenly... the snake's head plummeted down to the ground. A disgusting tearing came from the corners of the snake's mouth as the tremendous weight of Naruto strained and tore the flesh. A loud crash echoed in the area as the snake writhed in the crater created from the landing. Naruto managed to leap away from the snake in it's writhing state and landed a few hundred feet from it in a tree, which bent slightly from all the weight. "Guess it worked." He stated as the leftover clones appeared beside him, Kubikiri Hōchō leaning on his shoulders.

"Shouldn't we finish it?" One of the clones asked out loud.

"I'm not sure, this much damage should have caused a summon to disappear or a henge to drop... unless it's a summon that's stronger than normal. Guess I will have to finish it so it can go back to it's own plane." With that said, Naruto brought Kubikiri Hōchō back forward and leapt at the snake again. This time, he got the shot he wanted, the snake was in too much pain to try and attack him. His overhead slash went clean through the snake's neck and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reactivated the cushioning seals on his feet and leaned the zanbatō over his shoulders again. "That's done, now, I wonder how the Teme and Sakura are doing?" He looked back the way he came and stretched out his senses, looking for not only his teammate's chakra signatures but the enemy's as well.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura had no idea how the Kusa kunoichi had done what she just did. She'd pulled out her team's earth scroll and had tried to taunt them into trying to get it, thinking that it was the scroll they needed. Her plans were shot down when Sakura shouted about them already having an earth scroll. At first the enemy kunoichi had seemed disappointed, until she broke into another sick grin and... ate her team's scroll whole.

"How... how did you do that and why?" Sakura managed to stammer out. Her eyes were wide at the kunoichi's actions.

The enemy kunoichi just chuckled and held her hand to her face. "Why? Why to keep my scroll safe while I steal yours and take you out of this test of course. When this is over I will have your scroll and... both of you will be dead." She hissed the last part as she drug down her hand and her lower eyelid for her left eye with it.

Both Sasuke and Sakura stiffened as the kunoichi's iris had become slitted. A large wave of killing intent washed over them as they both saw themselves being attacked and their blood splattering onto the surrounding trees. It finally ended with both of them being killed with a kunai to the head. They both dropped their drawn weapons as their hearts almost stopped from the sheer horror. Both of them collapsed slowly to the forest floor. Both were taking shallow shaky breaths trying to steady their nerves.

_'Was that... was that an... illusion?' _Sasuke thought to himself nervously. He tried to take deeper breaths until his body finally betrayed him and he threw up whatever was left in his stomach.

Sakura was having the same problem. _'So much killing intent, so much more than what Naruto-senpai used on me. It feels like it's going to suffocate me.' _She had remembered those training sessions the most as they had been the most terrifying for her. She was trying to calm herself down but her body succumbed to the trauma and she hunched over as she started dry-retching.

The Kusa kunoichi merely continued to glare at them.

* * *

Sasuke tried to get up when he'd finished emptying his stomach, only to fall on his ass. _'No, it's just killing intent but it's so thick... it feels like it's weighing down on me, it's almost palpable.'_

Both Sasuke and Sakura thought the same thing at that moment. _'What is she!?'_

* * *

Naruto had gone rigid for the first time in about six years. He'd found Sasuke and Sakura's chakra signature's but they paled in comparison to their enemy's. He'd also felt the wave of killing intent that had been sent at them. _'That amount of killing intent... it's not normal for a genin. I don't even have that level of killing intent unless I use Kyu-sensei's youki. Their gonna get killed unless they get away now! But they're not moving.' _He thought, panicking for his friends lives.

_**'Well what do you do now Kit?' **_Kyuubi asked in complete seriousness.

_'What do you mean!? I've gotta go and help them!' _Naruto screamed back to his sensei. He stabbed Kubikiri Hōchō into the ground at his feet. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled into the forest as dozens more clones appeared around him. He lugged Kubikiri Hōchō out of the ground and placed it back on his shoulders and addressed the clones that were all over the area, crouching on tree branches, sticking to the bark of the trees and wherever there was space. "Alright guys, we have an enemy most likely stronger than us and their trying to kill our teammates, you know what that means! No playing around, go for the kill when you can. Keep to the shadows while I take him on first, MOVE OUT!" He yelled again as all of them leapt away, leaving nothing more than dust clouds.

* * *

Sasuke turned his head slightly to look at Sakura as she tried to turn her head to check on him as well but all she could manage was to glance her eyes at him. She was too afraid to take her eyes off the kunoichi in front of them for too long.

"S... Sakura?" Sasuke called out weakly.

Sakura couldn't bring herself to answer him verbally, all she could manage was a small shaky nod. The Kusa kunoichi chuckled at their little conversation. "You're both paralysed with fear."

_'No good, she's as bad as me. We both have to get out of here and away from Her.' _Sasuke thought to himself as he looked back to the enemy.

_'I've got to move, I've got to arm myself or I'm definitely going to die!' _Sakura thought to herself as she moved her hands feebly over the ground near her. She was trying to find any of the senbon she had dropped so she at least had something. Her hand finally fell on a dropped senbon, she dug up the dirt around it trying to get her fingers under it and pick it up without looking away from the kunoichi.

Sasuke on the other hand was on his way to standing up, shakily but he was standing. _'I've got to move. Just a little is enough right now.' _He thought as a shaking hand went to the kunai holster on his leg and he slowly pulled out a kunai. _'That's it! I can do this!' _He thought as he brought the kunai up and tried to ready himself for a fight.

Sakura had picked up the senbon and was now clutching it in her right hand as tightly as possible. _'I've got to get up, I need to be on my feet.' _Sakura thought as her legs twitched from her efforts of trying to stand.

The Kusa kunoichi continued to stare at them, seeing that both had armed themselves in some way and Sasuke had brought himself to stand she spoke. "Very good. What do you do now?" She asked in what sounded like a mocking tone.

Both of them froze at hearing her voice like that again. _'No good, I... can't... move!' _Sasuke thought as his body shook slightly.

_'Sasuke-kun, Naruto-senpai, I'm sorry.' _Sakura thought as she also shook slightly, still clutching the senbon to her chest.

The Kusa kunoichi started walking toward them and took out two kunai. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick. Then again I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've both seen it with your own eyes." She stopped and brought her arm up ready to throw the two kunai at them. "I expected for you to be more of a challenge." She stated simply before launching both kunai at them.

_'NO! Sasuke-kun!' _Sakura thought as she pulled the senbon away from her chest and rammed it into her shoulder. She hopped to her feet and started running to Sasuke to try and block the kunai.

_'Move... MOVE!' _Sasuke thought as he watched the kunai come ever closer. He finally brought his kunai up and rammed it into his thigh, activating his sharingan in the process. The Kusa kunoichi's eyes widened slightly at their actions. He turned to Sakura and dashed at her, meeting her halfway. He grabbed her around the waist and leapt off into the trees with her in tow.

The Kusa Kunoichi walked over to where the two had stood seconds before and looked at the small amount of blood they had left. _'They both got over the fear with pain. It seems they're not as helpless as I first thought.' _She thought as she looked in the direction they had left.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura stopped on a tree branch as far from the scary kunoichi as Sasuke could go with the kunai in his leg. He let go of Sakura and collapsed back into the tree trunk. She took the chance and immediately took out the senbon in her shoulder, a small trickle of blood escaping the hole left behind. Sasuke likewise took the kunai out of his thigh, a small spurt of blood escaped from the wound as the larger weapon had obviously caused more damage.

Sakura didn't say one word as she charged her hands with healing chakra and worked on her shoulder with one hand while the other worked on Sasuke's leg. Sasuke didn't seem to notice as he snapped his head back the way they came to watch out for their enemy. _'We've gotta get away from here! Away from her! But where!?' _He thought as his eyes darted left and right.

Sakura was looking at him worriedly as she did what she could for their wounds. _'I've never seen him this panicked before. Even when we were up against Haku, he was still calm and calculative then.' _As she thought this a shadow descended over the two of them. Sakura looked away from Sasuke and her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her. Right next to them was a large snake that looked like it was contemplating on wether to attack them or not. "Sasuke-kun watch out!"

Her cry caused Sasuke to snap his head around and stare right at the snake. Both of them were about to leap from their spot before... "Ryūseiōda!" Someone called as a black and blonde streak dropped right onto the snake's head and pushed it right down through several branches. The figure on the snake's head leapt away before it finally slammed onto a thicker branch and stopped. Several pieces of wood stuck from the snake's head and a large wound could be seen at the top of it's head as it bled on to the branch.

Sakura didn't see who it was that saved them but Sasuke did. He'd activated his sharingan in the panic and saw Naruto land on the snake's head and plunge the zanbatō he had right into the snake's head. He even saw the hand-seal Naruto had been holding with one hand as the other was holding the zanbatō.

Naruto showed up on the same branch as them as soon as he'd replaced the cushioning seal. "Hey you two okay? Wanna check my symbol?" He asked with a confident smile as the zanbatō was leaned on his shoulders, some blood dripping off the tip where he'd stabbed the snake.

Sakura turned to him, her eyes wide. "Senpai!" A smile came to her face at the realization that he'd saved them.

Sasuke just looked at him and said something almost inaudible. "Naruto... how?"

A large cracking sound came from below them and all their eyes darted to look at the snake's body. They watched as the Kusa kunoichi emerged from underneath the snake's scales, some kind of mucus covering her body. "So you survived meeting my friend?" She asked as she fully emerged from the snake's body.

"So that was your summon that attacked me." Naruto stated as he narrowed his eyes at her. The kunoichi didn't reply she merely chuckled at the three of them. "Guess it really doesn't matter now. You've been attacking my teammates, I don't like that. Slither away now before I make some shoes out of you!" He threatened the still chuckling kunoichi. Naruto hoped he sounded more confident than he felt because he knew this shinobi in front of them could probably kill all of them easily but he wasn't going to give up just because of that.

_'Little idiot! He doesn't know what we're up against. He's gonna get the three of us killed!' _Sasuke thought, looking wide eyed at Naruto. "Shut up Naruto! You don't know what we're up against!" Sasuke berated him.

"I know more than you think Teme. Both of you get out of here, I'll hold her off." Naruto told, no, ordered the two of them as he brought Kubikiri Hōchō out to bear in front of him.

_'No, there's gotta be another way. A way that all of us can get away from her.' _Suddenly a thought came to Sasuke as he looked at Naruto's vest. _'That's the only way.' _He thought before addressing Naruto again. "Naruto, give her our scrolls."

Naruto's head snapped around so quickly you would have thought he broke his neck. He didn't say anything, he merely looked at Sasuke incredulously. As if Sasuke had just grown a second head or admitted that Naruto was better than him. The look soon disappeared as it was replaced by a hard glare but there was something else there. In his eyes, Sakura caught a glimpse of his mischievous mind at work, he was planning something.

"Fine, Sasuke, I'll give her our scrolls." Naruto said dejectedly before digging a hand into his pouch and taking out what looked like two earth scrolls.

Seeing him dig into his pouch to retrieve the two scrolls, Sakura and Sasuke knew he was planning something since they knew he'd kept them in a seal. Sasuke almost look horrified at what Naruto was about to do, while Sakura was fighting a smile.

"You can have 'em!" Naruto shouted in another downcast tone before tossing the two scrolls to the kunoichi.

She caught both of them easily and started cackling. "A very wise move. If the helpless prey is to save their own skins, they realize they must distract the predator with something even more precious." She told them as she started burning the two scrolls with chakra. Only to hear them already burning and crackling. She looked down at the two and went wide eyed at seeing the two pouches of explosives Naruto had swiped from Konohamaru covered in exploding tags instead of the scrolls. "WHA-" She was cut off by the subsequent explosion that went off right in her face.

"RUN!" Naruto shouted to Sakura and Sasuke as he turned and waited for them to leap off the branches. He soon followed as they started running and gave off a signal to a shadow clone they passed. It meant one very simple thing, swarm the enemy if they were still there.

* * *

The kunoichi was slightly angry to put it lightly. She'd jumped from the explosion as it happened and landed where team 7 had been a few seconds before. _'So that's the game they wish to play?' _She was going to summon another snake and go in pursuit at that thought. She hit a snag, though, when a lot of Narutos appeared from the trees, all brandishing broadswords, knives and kunai. _'I don't have time for this.' _She thought to herself as she continued the summon. She was soon standing atop a snake larger than the one she had summoned before. She looked up at the clones again and raised her arm as well. "Seneijashu!" She called as several snakes appeared around her arm and struck out at the clones, dispersing them. She whipped her arm about and slammed the snakes into more clones, making them disperse. She cackled lightly. _'Shadow clones, how interesting.'_

* * *

Naruto wasn't as happy as the kunoichi right now, not after receiving the info he had received from the shadow clones. He looked about the area they were in now after having run so little. _'Not yet. A little further.'_

The kunoichi started moving through the forest on her snake. Following her prey, all the way she was attacked by more clones. She merely batted them away with her snakes. _'So, he anticipated me following them. 'They're probably planning something right now.' _She thought before lashing out and dispersing another clone.

* * *

"Stop!" Naruto shouted to Sasuke and Sakura. They both stopped on branches ahead of him.

"What is it Dobe!? We need to keep running or she's gonna catch up to us!" Sasuke shouted to him.

"You were actually serious about getting away from her? There's no chance of us ever getting away from her. Right now she's catching up to us even with us running, besides I never give up! All I wanted to do, Teme, was lead her to a battlefield of our choosing. I've covered the trees in this place with exploding seals so I can blow her up some more. There's plenty of cover so we can perform some long range attacks or if she summons more snakes." Naruto paused abruptly and looked over his shoulder. "Take cover, NOW! She's almost here!"

"Wrong Gaki, I am here." The kunoichi announced as she came up between Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, atop the snake's head. Sasuke and Sakura froze again at the sight of her.

"Snap out of it you two we have to fight!" Naruto called as two shadow clones showed up in place of Sasuke and Sakura using a kawarimi. He was also replaced with a clone, you could only tell because the Kubikiri Hōchō disappeared from his shoulder. The shadow clone that replaced him dispersed almost instantly as the snake clamped it's mouth on the branch it was situated on.

* * *

Sakura was situated in some high branches way above the kunoichi that was after them. She looked about and spotted Naruto and several of his shadow clones around the area, along with Sasuke to the kunoichi's left. They had effectively surrounded their enemy and she had been placed perfectly to rain down attacks on their enemy. She took out some senbon and kunai she had left and waited for the right moment to arise, as well as get ready to use her only long range jutsu, the bakudan.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't as ready as Sakura to attack, he still wanted to run. To get away from this person, this thing of death in front of him. He wanted to survive. He didn't dare move incase she noticed him.

* * *

Naruto, well Naruto was everywhere. The real one however was squatting on a branch near Sasuke to keep an eye on him. He'd never seen Sasuke act like this before, it was like he was a different person. Almost like he'd reverted back to how he'd been that night. The night his clan had been killed, Naruto had seen Sasuke before and as he was taken to the hospital. If he'd been any earlier he'd have seen the massacre as well.

* * *

_Flashback_

Naruto was running through the village, unable to sleep yet again, he tried to get rid of his energy through running. He'd been in the academy for almost two years now, a few more months and it would be his eighth birthday. So far he was doing good in the training Kyuubi gave him and he was becoming infamous as a prankster in the village and a class clown at the academy. Being a prankster was the best part since it counted towards his stealth and stamina training when he ran from the ANBU. He still wished he had more stuff to do with chakra though, so far all he had was the henge and kakuremino jutsu. Both of them were some of the lowest level jutsu out there and he knew it from hearing about some stronger jutsu from Kyuubi. Along with the tree walking and water walking exercises Kyuubi had him do, there wasn't anything really interesting he could do.

He was broken from his thoughts as he neared the Uchiha compound, eventually he stopped and dashed behind a nearby tree. He usually passed by the different clan compounds in the hopes of seeing their famous ninja in action, even if some of them had attacked him before he went to the ninja academy. This night however, the compound was surrounded by ANBU and other ninjas of various ranks. _'What's going on?' _He wondered as he crept closer through the shadows.

_**'Keep your distance, Kit. The scent of blood is in the air.' **_Kyuubi warned him before he got too close.

_'How do you know?' _Naruto asked, surprised by his sensei's warning.

_**'Because you were wondering what the metallic smell was. Blood contains iron and when it hits air or mixes with fats in the human body it gives off a vapor with the scent you can smell now. Remember that scent, Kit.' **_Kyuubi answered.

Naruto nodded mentally and tried moving to a higher spot to see inside the compound and over the heads of the gathered shinobi. He managed to get to a rooftop and almost lost what was in his stomach from the sight. Inside the compound was covered in blood, it was over the walls, the roads and the lone shaking form of Sasuke as he was being tended to by the shinobi.

There were even some bodies still left in the compound, yet to be taken to the morgue at the hospital. They were cut up and still leaking some blood, others had started coagulating. Some bodies were draped over others as if they had tried to protect those they covered. There were even some children, babies even, still in their mother's arms.

Naruto was sickened. He was grief stricken and horrified at the same time. Civilians and shinobi alike of the Uchiha clan had been slaughtered. People of his village. He should have been there to do something, he was supposed to be a hero. He was about to jump down and find out who'd done it before Kyuubi reeled him in. _**'Calm yourself Kit. Even if you found out who did this, there's nothing you can do to change it now. All you can do is get stronger so you can stop it from happening again, if it happens again.' **_Kyuubi informed him sagely.

_'Right... You're right Kyu-sensei. I will get stronger, strong enough to protect everyone in the village. This will never happen again. I'm gonna train harder than ever. I just hope Sasuke will be okay. He's cocky in the academy but I wouldn't wish this on anyone.' _Naruto thought as he settled back down to listen in on whatever the shinobi were saying. Naruto heard enough to know that an Uchiha named Itachi was the one responsible for the massacre. He also heard how Itachi was Sasuke's older brother. Naruto soon grew tired of listening and since Sasuke had been taken to the hospital, he returned home.

The next few days Sasuke had been absent from the academy. Naruto just figured he was in the hospital and waited for his return. When he did return he was moodier and cockier than ever, but mostly moody. Naruto tried to befriend him and failed. Eventually Naruto decided to act as a rival and tease Sasuke into challenges, mostly sparring and kunai throwing.

_Flashback End_

* * *

Naruto shook the memories from his head and focused back on their enemy. She still hadn't moved, she seemed to be just standing atop the snake's head, glancing into the surrounding trees.

* * *

The Kusa kunoichi took one last glance into the surrounding trees before she spoke. "You seem to have a grasp of stealth. Hiding alone, however, will not keep a predator at bay!" She snapped around and glared directly at the real Naruto before her snake rushed forward. It rammed it's head through the tree he was on and knocked him into another tree.

He coughed up blood on impact with the tree, Kubikiri Hōchō slipped from his grasp and buried itself in a lower branch after falling through the forests understory. _'Too fast, couldn't... see it coming...' _Naruto thought weakly, almost blacking out. He started falling, moving away from the tree. He eventually hit a couple of small branches and disappeared through the understory of the forest as well.

The Kusa kunoichi started cackling. "And here I thought he would put up more of a fight." She looked down the way Naruto had fallen. _'Now that I've gotten rid of that meddeler. I can fully gauge the Uchiha's skill.'_

* * *

_**'KIT! I'm sending a burst of my chakra.' **_Kyuubi screamed to him mentally.

Naruto felt it. The warm feeling of Kyuubi sending chakra to him. Always the same, a warm feeling coming from his stomach. It also meant that the seal on his stomach showed up. His eyes snapped fully open. The pain from the impact forgotten. He redirected himself and latched onto the tree's bark with chakra. He tore it up as he slid down. His vision had changed as well. Everything was going slower. The kitsune eye jutsu had been activated.

* * *

Sasuke looked even more frightened at the kunoichi now since she was only a few feet from him, atop her snake. The snake's head turned to look at him, as did the kunoichi's. Sasuke couldn't help it. All he saw when he looked at her was that vision of death that had been brought upon him by her killing intent. Coupled with how her snake effortlessly took care of Naruto who was just as good as him and he truly feared her. The snake's head advanced toward him slowly. The kunoichi broke out into another sick smile. "I see you're still scared from our earlier encounter. I suppose your only good as a tasty little snack for my snake now." The snake started moving faster it's jaw now agape.

Sasuke's instincts kicked in. He leapt from the branch he was on and threw a barrage of shuriken at the snake and the kunoichi. "NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed as he tried to find someway of losing her.

The kunoichi merely moved her head slightly to avoid the few shuriken that were aimed at her. The shuriken that were aimed at the snake merely bounced off it's scales. The few that got between the scales only served to irritate the snake. "Such fear and desperation." The kunoichi mumbled calmly before launching herself off the snake's head directly for Sasuke.

* * *

It was thanks to the slowed down vision of the kitsune eye jutsu that Naruto caught a glimpse of Kubikiri Hōchō. He sent the rest of the youki Kyuubi gave him into his legs and used it to launch himself toward Kubikiri Hōchō. He fed his own chakra to his eyes to keep the jutsu up.

He grabbed the hilt and yanked Kubikiri Hōchō out of the branch as he flew over it. He landed horizontally on another tree and started running up it with his chakra. He held Kubikiri Hōchō out to his right as he went. He tried to make anything out with his enhanced eyesight as he neared the understory of the forest.

* * *

The Kusa kunoichi flipped around in mid flight. She caught several kunai and senbon that had been sent at her before stopping on a tree, sticking to it with chakra. She held her forearms over her eyes as all the weapons were held between her fingers. "I was hoping there would be no more interference after I took care of the blonde one. It seems, however, that you are not smart enough to stay out of a fight so you may live." She said calmly as she lowered her arms and came face to face with a fireball.

She swiped her arms out in front of her causing the frieball to explode before hitting her. She dropped down from within the flames. She landed on a branch and was under another hail of senbon. Her summon snake blocked them by merely placing it's head over her.

* * *

Sakura was getting desperate now. She was out of kunai and down to her last few senbon. She'd lost about a quarter of her chakra from using the bakudan just once. The snake summon was too large for her to take on and the enemy kunoichi just seemed too powerful for even Sasuke and Naruto to take on, let alone her. _'Senpai, I hope you're okay.'_

The snake moved it's head away from the branch and Sakura had a twinge of fear run through her at what was revealed. The kunoichi had disappeared. She had to move, before the enemy found her. She started backing up so she could travel under cover of the leaves before she bumped into something much too soft to be the tree. She turned her head slowly, already with a good idea of who was behind her. Her face was twisted into a look of fear. She looked up to be face to face with the Kusa kunoichi. "Hello, my dear. It seems you care more for your friends life than you do your own."

* * *

Anko had been called by some of the assistants that were helping with the exams to see about some dead bodies. At first she'd been a little pissed off at the chunin because she had just finished her dango break, even having a few extra dango in a small celebration at having the curse seal removed, you could almost say she was giddy with excitement. She was finishing off her sweet red bean soup when the chunin showed up. She was going to just brush off the chunin until he told her that there was something strange about the bodies, other than being dead.

She hadn't expected what she found though. All three of the faces were gone, like they'd been melted away. _'It's him!' _Anko thought as she clutched the shoulder that bore the curse seal. She snapped around to the three assistants and barked out her order. "I want to see pictures of what these three looked like, where are their IDs?"

"Right here ma'am!" Answered one of the assistants as he held out three pieces of paper.

Anko snatched them away and stared intently at the very first photo. _'So this is the face he stole. Why is he here?' _The face was none other than the Kusa kunoichi that was now after Sasuke and Sakura. Anko snapped around at the assistants again and barked out new orders. "We've got big trouble! Go tell Hokage-sama exactly what's happened here. While you're at it, tell ANBU Black Ops to send a couple of convoys out here." Anko turned to face the three bodies again. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna go in after these three. Move out!" The three vanished, speeding away to their destination. Anko was still looking at the bodies, thinking about who had done this. _'I may not need you to get rid of the seal after all Gaki, he's come back. Orochimaru is back in Konoha.'_

* * *

**Author's Note;**  
I'm not sure if I got that Ryūseiōda name right but it's supposed to mean 'meteor strike'. If I got it wrong, could someone please tell me the proper name and I'll change it. Basically what Naruto did was deactivate the cushioning seals again and drop on to the snake, if you didn't already figure it out.

Reviews are also greatly appreciated.


	21. Orochimaru and Cursed Seals!

Gomen, (Bows low) Gomenasai. I don't know what took me so long with this chapter. (looks over the audience) (sound of shotgun being cocked) Right! On to the Fanfiction!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 21 – Orochimaru and Cursed Seals!!

* * *

**Last time:**

Anko snatched them away and stared intently at the very first photo. _'So this is the face he stole. Why is he here?' _The face was none other than the Kusa kunoichi that was now after Sasuke and Sakura. Anko snapped around at the assistants again and barked out new orders. "We've got big trouble! Go tell Hokage-sama exactly what's happened here. While you're at it, tell ANBU Black Ops to send a couple of convoys out here." Anko turned to face the three bodies again. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna go in after these three. Move out!" The three vanished, speeding away to their destination. Anko was still looking at the bodies, thinking about who had done this. _'I may not need you to get rid of the seal after all Gaki, he's come back. Orochimaru is back in Konoha.'_

* * *

**This Chapter:**

The Kusa kunoichi now held Sakura by her throat. Sakura's hands were grasping onto the kunoichi's lone hand, trying to decrease the discomfort of having her own body weight pulling down on her neck. "Let's find out if your teammate values your life more than his own." The kunoichi hissed lightly as she walked off the branch and on to the waiting snake's head. The snake lowered itself to be level with where Sasuke was last seen. The kunoichi stepped off of the snake and on to the branch. The snake moved away slightly and coiled itself around a lower branch.

* * *

Sasuke pressed his body harder into the tree he was hidden behind. Hoping she, or her pet snake, wouldn't be able to find him. He strained his ears to try and figure out where she was. For what happened next, he needn't have bothered.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun! Oh, Sasuke-kun! I have a dear friend of yours here. If you wish for her to stay alive I suggest you come out now." The kunoichi called out in a mocking tone into the surrounding trees.

Sakura pried a pair of fingers between the kunoichi's hand and her throat. She managed to get enough space to call out. "Sasuke-kun! Don't come out! Get aw-Hrk!" She was cut off abruptly.

The kunoichi withdrew her fist from Sakura's stomach. "You're too noisy for your own good, child." One of Sakura's hands shot for her stomach, while the other tried to keep a firm hold of the hand at her throat. The kunoichi looked back into the trees in front of her. "I will give you five seconds to come out of hiding, boy. If you don't, your teammate will take your place as my snake's snack." At those words the snake's head propped up and got ready to receive it's treat like a dog and it's master.

The kunoichi moved from holding Sakura's throat to her hair by the end of her ponytail, Sakura screamed and scrambled her hands to grab her hair. "One... Two..." The kunoichi started the countdown.

* * *

Sasuke heard it all clearly. The countdown and the scream. He had cringed slightly at hearing the scream. _'I've got to save her! But if I do that I'm dead! Then I can't go after Itachi!' _He dared to peek around the tree, he instantly redrew his head. The kunoichi's head had started turning his way. _'WHAT DO I DO!?'_

* * *

"Three... Four... Five." The kunoichi scanned the forest for any movement. When she found none she smiled a sick smile as she turned to Sakura. She was now in tears from the pain in her scalp and the fear of her imminent death. "Your time is up. Seems your teammate is smarter when it comes to his life." The kunoichi stated as she took out a kunai. She raised the kunai to Sakura's ponytail. "Goodbye, my dear." She said in a cold tone as she savagely cut through Sakura's hair.

Sakura watched as the kunoichi started moving away from her, through the blur of tears, as if in slow motion. Further and further away she went. Sakura's severed hair flew out from around her head as she fell, like real cherry blossoms. Then the heat from the snake's mouth and the smell of it's saliva came to her as she neared it's mouth.

* * *

The kunoichi watched Sakura's fall with sick delight. Just waiting for the satisfying smack of the snake's mouth that would signal the end of another meddler. She dropped the pink hair in her hand after Sakura, creating even more fake cherry blossoms.

She opened her mouth to start cackling but stopped. There was movement, from two different directions. Two blurs, one was white, blue and black. The other was black, blonde and the glint of metal. The white, blue and black blur was moving too slow to intercept the falling Sakura and save her. The black and blonde blur, however, was moving considerably faster.

* * *

Sasuke knew he was moving too slow. His sharingan told him he was going too slow. He'd activated it in the heat of the moment. He wasn't too happy when he saw that by the time he reached Sakura she would already be in the snake's mouth and down it's throat.

His sharingan also told him something else. It told him that the other blur was moving fast enough to get to the snake before it swallowed Sakura. It also told him who the other blur was. He got a clear picture of who it was just before he landed in the snake's mouth. He got the picture of Naruto holding that huge sword of his again.

There was a difference this time though. Naruto's eyes, they weren't the usual friendly blue or the cold blue of when he fought even. They were red as blood with black slitted pupils. There were also some pieces of torn paper hanging from under his gauntlets. Lastly, he only had one arm in the vest he wore.

Sasuke looked up from his spot on the snake's bottom jaw. He saw half of Naruto's bear back. He saw some of the large scars that littered Naruto's back. The scars that had been covered when they wrote on his back, as the symbols were shown clearly where they had written them. _'That's why... he doesn't like showing his back to any one. They were only a few inches away from where we wrote. How couldn't I have noticed?' _Sasuke was broken from his thoughts when Naruto spoke up.

"You're not as much of a coward as I thought. You might actually be able to face your brother if you keep that up." Naruto stated as he looked over his shoulder at Sasuke from his spot. He was at the front of the snake's mouth, holding the top and bottom jaws apart again. Sakura held under his left arm and the sword in his right being used to hold up the top jaw. _'Same damn situation, twice in the same day! How the hell does this keep happening?' _Naruto thought, annoyed.

Sasuke's irises contracted in surprise. "What...?" Sasuke asked dumbfounded.

"Don't just sit there! Take Sakura and get out of here!" Naruto shouted as he turned slightly and held Sakura's limp body out to him.

Sasuke looked at Sakura and simply nodded. "Right." He took Sakura's arm, placed it around his neck and turned her so he could carry her bridal style. He turned and leapt straight out of the snake's mouth, bounced off one tree and onto a branch opposite the Kusa kunoichi's position.

Naruto looked back toward his enemy. The woman that almost killed his teammate come apprentice. "You are a persistent little pest aren't you?" The kunoichi heckled as she stored the kunai she had used to cut through Sakura's hair. She seemed to inspect Naruto a little closer.

"I'm more than persistent. I'm like a bad cold, I just won't go away unless you get rid of me completely." Naruto shot back as he placed his now free left hand on the flat of his blade to make holding the snake's mouth open all the easier.

_'There's a fire in his eye. It seems familiar and yet it's not as fierce or bloodthirsty as it was all those years ago. Still, could he be the one?' _She thought as she prepared a jutsu. "I suppose I'll just have to get rid of you then!" She hissed as she shot her right arm forward and several snakes flew toward Naruto from her arm.

* * *

Sasuke laid Sakura down gently on the branch he had escaped to. He wasn't all that surprised when a couple of Naruto clones showed up and told him not to worry and that they would look after her. He nodded weakly again, he stood up and turned away to watch as the real Naruto was attacked by their opponent.

His sharingan started spinning. Lazily at first and then faster as his anger, at himself and their enemy, rose. He started recalling what his so-called older brother had told him. Immediately after he'd been put through a small hell.

* * *

Naruto saw the attack coming easily, thanks to the fox eyes. He pushed up quickly to open the snake's mouth further and simply leapt out. The snake's that were after him curled around where he used to be and followed him. The larger snake's head also followed him, angry that it had been denied it's small meal.

Naruto looked back and saw all the snakes that were now after him. He landed on a tree's bark and launched himself right back at the oncoming snakes, half of his vest fluttering behind him in the wind. He drew his wakizashi from it's lavender scabbard with his left hand. When he reached the snakes, his left hand was nothing but a blur as he cut down the small snakes. His right arm brought Kubikiri Hōchō down over his head in an perfect arc right down the middle of the larger snake's head.

The larger snake vanished in a puff of smoke as it had taken all the damage it could stand. The smaller snakes simply wilted and fell from their master's arm. "You're gonna have to move faster than that if you want to catch me." Naruto stated simply as he landed on the same branch as the kunoichi.

* * *

The image of his brother's, of Itachi's, eyes that night flashed before him. Itachi's words echoed clearly in his mind. _**'Foolish little brother, you can't kill me, your hate's not strong enough. You're not strong enough! If you want to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life. And then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.'**_

* * *

She looked at him with open annoyance shown in her eyes. "I see, you're not a normal genin are you?" She hissed at him.

"Look who's talking." Naruto shot back as sheathed the wakizashi and snatched out the scroll he stored all his swords in. "You're not that much of a normal genin yourself." He stabbed Kubikiri Hōchō into the branch and opened up the scroll. He held it out to the large sword, it disappeared with a puff of smoke in a fraction of a second. "You have to be at least jounin level, probably higher." He rolled the scroll back up and stored it.

"Oh, much higher than that." The kunoichi hissed again. "In fact, I already have you!" She hissed with more malice as several snake's burst from the branch beneath Naruto. He reached for his broadswords as had been his plan for this fight, as they were smaller, faster than his zanbatō.

He was too slow to draw the swords, though. The snakes wrapped around his arms, legs and torso. They bit into the unprotected underside of his forearms and into his shoulders and lower legs. He flinched slightly at the pain of the puncture wounds. He managed to get a shaky smile on his face as he faced his enemy again. "So you caught me, big deal. I can still break free." Naruto started pushing his arms outwards, trying to tear away the snakes and draw his broadswords at the same time.

* * *

Sasuke started shaking from rage at the insult Itachi's words brought him. He'd just been doing what his brother had wanted him to do. He'd been trying to run. He'd been clinging to life. _'If I can't face this demon of a woman, then how can I stand before my brother. Naruto, I'm no coward, I'll show you!'_

_

* * *

_

The kunoichi merely started walking to him as she made a half ram seal. Suddenly Naruto's veins were on fire as the snakes started pumping their venom into him. He let out a small scream of pain as his arms came back to their original position. "Not this time. This time, I'll be sure to take care of you." She dropped the half ram seal and took out a kunai.

She lifted the mesh shirt to just uncover the bandages that covered his abdomen. She brought the kunai dangerously close to Naruto's skin as she dragged it down the bandages. Any bandages that didn't fall away, she pushed away from his bare stomach. "What the hell are you doing now?" Naruto spit through gritted teeth.

She didn't bother replying as she eyed his bare stomach._ 'Strange, he obviously has the eyes of the fox demon and yet the seal that binds the fox to him has not shown itself.'_ She thought as she stored the kunai and made a hand-seal._ 'Could it be an ability passed on by the fox? I had planned on killing this boy as he was being such a nuisance but this requires more study. He may even be an interesting transfer body in the future.' _She held onto her left wrist as chakra built up in her left hand. She turned her hand to face Naruto as purplish flames of chakra appeared one by one on her finger tips.

Naruto continued to stare with interest at what she was planning. When he saw the five seals appearing in the flames, though, he decided enough was enough. He started spinning the layer of chakra over his abdomen as fast as possible. By the time the Kusa kunoichi drove her hand into his abdomen with a yell of, "Gogyou Fuuin!" his spiral armor was all warmed up and held her completely at bay.

When she saw her hand wasn't connecting with her target's skin the Kusa kunoichi looked up to his blood red eyes with open annoyance. "You aren't putting a damn seal on me!" Naruto growled to her as he started pushing his arms out again, trying to break free.

The kunoichi was about to command her snakes to inject more of their venom into Naruto, when she caught a foot that was headed for her head. "So, you finally decided to join the fight, young Uchiha." She stared directly into Sasuke's blazing sharingan and cracked another sick smile. _'So, he's finally seen through the fear. It took one of his teammates almost being killed to bring his Uchiha blood to a boil. An admirable trait but that is not what I'm searching for. This will finally give me a chance to properly test his ability. As long as there are no more interruptions.'_ She pushed Sasuke's foot away and Sasuke along with it.

Sasuke landed a few feet away in a crouch. He stood slowly as the kunoichi turnd to face him fully. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Time to kick ass Teme!" Naruto shouted over as he pushes out even further, nearing the snakes tearing points.

"Silence, child." The kunoichi hisses as she brings her hand up in a half ram seal. Naruto screams out in pain as more venom is pumped into his veins. His arms return once again to be by his sides.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouts trying to see what's happening to Naruto behind his enemy.

"Do not worry about your teammate. My snake's venom merely paralyzes with the dose I've given him, he will be immobile for hours. I merely want him out of the way, for now." The kunoichi hisses as the snakes lift Naruto up behind her, pushes him along the branch and slams him into the main body of the tree they're using as a battle ground.

_

* * *

_

The snakes withdraw their fangs from their prey and slither back to their master. Leaving Naruto to slide down into a sitting position on the branch. _'Hey, Kyu-sensei. Think your youki could purge the venom?'_

**_'Most definitely, I'm sending some youki to purge it now.'_ **Kyuubi replies hurriedly.

_'Good, 'cause this enemy's not normal. She has the same smell as the snakes, Anko and Kabuto and his guys. They must be connected somehow, but how?'_ Naruto pondered as he felt Kyuubi's youki flowing through his chakra network.

**_'Worry about that later, survival now.'_ **Kyuubi ordered him.

_

* * *

_

"Now, you should worry about your own life." The kunoichi hissed as she charged forward. She threw a flurry of punches and kicks at Sasuke. He anticipated each one as he saw her muscles move with the sharingan. He ducked, weaved and blocked all he could, before he decided it was time to go on the offence again.

He leapt up, trying to land a kick on her chin as he went, missing slightly as she leaned back. He drew several kunai in mid air and, using the sharingan's superior vision, threw all of them toward his enemy. She hopped back as each kunai struck deep into where she had been standing.

Sasuke landed on another tree's main body as he stuck with his chakra, he looked up quickly to see that the kunoichi had evaded his shots. _'Gotta go faster!'_ Sasuke thought frustratedly. He took out another kunai and quickly sliced open the arm and leg warmers he wore, releasing the weights he kept hidden there.

The kunoichi saw him doing something with a kunai and sped toward the tree he was on. Her body became malleable as she wrapped around the tree Sasuke was on and slithered her way up it. She dodged the weights that came at her as she traveled up the tree. _'So he was holding back slightly, excellent.'_ She went even faster toward the Uchiha. Until she had stop and move away suddenly as more kunai came toward her face.

Sasuke launched himself off the tree after he threw the kunai and started doing hand-seals. He twisted in the air and blew out a stream of fire that engulfed the tree he had been on and the kunoichi that had been chasing him. He stopped and landed in another crouch on a another branch. _'Where is she?'_ He thought hurriedly as he tried to peer through the flames and see her burning body.

_

* * *

_

Anko stopped on a branch as she looked toward the setting sun. She'd been traveling through the trees for hours now. "It's getting late, I need to find him soon." She thought out loud. _'My odds at beating him are bad as it is and they get even worse in the dark. The thing is, why is he here? Why now? What the hell is he after? Argh, doesn't matter now, I just gotta find him.'_ She thought just before leaping onto the next branch in search of her target.

_

* * *

_

Sasuke glanced to his right as the sharingan had picked up movement, sure enough there was the kunoichi. She was winding her way through some branches as she came toward Sasuke. He drew another couple of kunai and dashed toward where she would arrive. He threw a kunai into a spot right in front of her and activated the exploding tag he had attached. It blew up right as she arrived, creating a hail of splinters.

_'Very good, you can read my movements.'_ It didn't seem to slow the kunoichi down as a trail of cracks started making it's way toward Sasuke. He hopped back slightly when she erupted from the branch. He pushed off his back foot and dashed directly toward the kunoichi who was still partially in the branch. He hopped again as he came up to her and planted a foot right on top of her head, pushing her face into the branch.

As he leapt away he turned to face a section of the forest. "NOW'S YOUR CHANCE, SAKURA!" As soon as the last word left his mouth, a fireball sped at the downed kunoichi. It exploded on impact creating another hail of splinters. Sasuke looked back up at the exhausted looking Sakura. She'd shown up just before he'd used the exploding tag. She still had a pair of Naruto clones with her.

He looked back to where the enemy kunoichi had been. He had to glance around as it was revealed the kunoichi had disappeared again. All he saw was the blurring form of the kunoichi as she dashed up behind him and struck him in the side of the head as he turned to face her. _'That meddler again! They're like cockroaches!'_

Sasuke tumbled a few feet before he regained his bearings and leapt toward the enemy. _'How does she keep surviving the fire attacks!?'_ He thought as he tried to drop kick the kunoichi. She blocked him and grabbed onto his foot and shin. She dragged him down, kneed him in his stomach, then his face and finally knocked him away with a kick.

He tumbled to another stop as he clutched his stomach. "Pathetic, a true Uchiha should be more of a challenge. They'll thank me for eradicating you!" She drew kunai ready for the final strike and walked toward Sasuke. She was about to simply flick the kunai toward him before he pushed up and shot a small fireball right at her face. _'He copied the girl's explosive jutsu and used it perfectly in the midst of battle. It is annoying but it is a good sign.'_

The fireball exploded right in her face and she stumbled backward clutching her face. Two shuriken with wires attached to them flew from the surrounding trees and wrapped around her. _'Finally, it took the earth clones enough time to get up here. The Dobe was right, they are slow.'_ Right on cue another two Sasukes showed up either side of him holding on to the wires that were now around the kunoichi.

Sakura dropped down onto a branch a few feet away from them with a single shadow clone in tow. She started doing more hand-seals. **_'CHA! She'll never dodge or block this now!'_ **Her inner persona cheered. Sasuke saw what she was doing and ordered his clones to do the same. Sasuke himself took the wires from his clones and bit down on both of them as he started doing some different hand-seals.

Sakura and the two Sasuke clones finished the seals at the same time and, as one, shouted out, "Katon: Bakudan!" The three fireballs connected with the bound kunoichi and exploded at the same time. The explosion was considerably larger thanks to the combined jutsu. The kunoichi's screams could be heard as the branch underneath her was almost completely destroyed. Sakura almost dropped to her knees before the Naruto shadow clone caught her and leapt away with her.

Sasuke waited for a few seconds for the fire to clear before he unleashed his jutsu. When the flames cleared, it revealed the kunoichi with her clothes burnt and her hair singed, she was hunched over and breathing heavily. Part of her sleeve where Sakura had aimed for was completely burned away, showing burnt skin. _'That's not the end of it! Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!'_ Sasuke screamed mentally.

A large flame engulfed Sasuke and traveled down the two wires in his mouth. The flames slammed into the kunoichi and caused the wire to snap as she was pushed back into a tree from the force of the jutsu. The flames went past the kunoichi and even broke through the tree. She was screaming again just as she had been when the triple bakudan hit her. Being hit at close range only made it even more powerful.

The flames around Sasuke died down as the jutsu finished. He was breathing heavily now. _'Guess I used too many fire jutsu.'_ The two earth clones behind him crumbled to rocks and dust, his sharingan faded to reveal his usual onyx eyes. His face covered in sweat, Sasuke dropped to his knees in exhaustion.

_

* * *

_

Naruto had watched the fight. As much as he could when they were in his line of sight anyway. He didn't need to have the final attack in his line of sight to have seen it though. "Hm, nice one Teme." He watched as Sasuke dropped to his knees._ 'Hey, Kyu-sensei, the venom almost gone?'_

**_'Most of it, Kit. You should be able to move a little by now. You'll be happy to hear you'll have more of a natural tolerance for this venom when this is over.'_ **Kyuubi replied as he surveyed the area through Naruto's eyes.

_'Thanks Kyu-sensei. I think we may need to move out now anyway.'_ Naruto moved his legs slightly, they were stiff, as were his arms. He could move alright, he just couldn't stand properly, yet.

_

* * *

_

Sasuke looked up at where the kunoichi had been pinned to the tree. She was still there, the wires still bound around her but she wasn't moving and still standing somehow. _'That's a good sign.'_ He looked back down for a second as he tried to regain some energy. His head shot back up though when he heard the crunch of burnt wood and the snap of wires being broken._ 'I had to jinx it!'_

Sasuke and Naruto watched in horror as the kunoichi stepped forward and broke the wires that held her. Simply by spreading out her arms out as Naruto had tried to do with her snakes. She passed a hand over the plate of her hitai-ite and the symbol changed from that of the grass to the sound symbol. "Even with the interference of the pests you showed a high level of skill, strength and speed. As well as great mastery of the sharingan, even copying a jutsu and using it flawlessly in battle. Yes, your eyes may even be sharper than Itachi's were. Yes, you will do nicely." The kunoichi mused in a voice that seemed to turn more... masculine?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the muse about his brother. "What do you know of my brother!? Who are you!?" Sasuke screamed as loudly as he could.

"My name is Orochimaru. As to what I want, that will remain a mystery, as well as what I know of your brother. That is until, you seek me out. Before that though, you must defeat the sound ninja I have placed in this exam and survive the test." He/she answered the young Uchiha.

_

* * *

_

Naruto's eyes had been wide open from the moment the shinobi's name was revealed. "Orochi... maru!?" He muttered in surprise as he drowned out the rest of the conversation. _'I read Dad's file on him, the first thing it said was to avoid him at all costs.'_ An image of Anko and the smell that came off her and the others came to the front of his mind._ 'ANKO! I knew her name sounded familiar, she was his apprentice. The smell, the smell of snakes, why does Kabuto and his team have it? There was no mention of other apprentices.'_ He shook his head quickly, getting back on track. _'That doesn't matter right now. He's a sannin, he was trained by Jii-san, HE'S A TRAITOR! He could have killed all of us at once without breaking a sweat. So why didn't he!?'_

* * *

Sasuke wanted to know about Itachi, he had to know. "What do you mean? How-"

"Do you find me? Don't worry, you'll find me, you'll have to if you wish to control your power." Orochimaru announced as he made a hand-seal.

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, Shino, Kiba and Hinata stopped abruptly when Akamaru let out a slight yip from Kiba's jacket. "Of course that's gonna be out here Akamaru. This is a test with fighting and a chance of dieing in it after all." Kiba berated the small dog with a slight annoyance. He received another series of barks and a small whimper from the small white dog. "That much!? Is there any one still there?" Akamaru replied with a simple shake of his head.

"W-what's the matter with A-Akamaru, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked quietly from Kiba's right.

"I believe he picked up the scent of copious amounts of blood. Most probably the result of some other teams fighting." Shino answered her in his monotone. "I received the exact same information from my insects immediately after Akamaru's announcement."

"Yeah, think we should check it out? Akamaru says there isn't anyone there, maybe we could pick up some spare kunai?" Kiba asked excitedly, all the while petting Akamaru.

"We do still have four days. A few extra minutes will not be a significant loss. The chance of learning of how they fight from the left over surroundings is tempting in the need of creating a counter. Very well, we shall inspect the area, if Hinata does not disapprove." Shino analyzed while looking in the general direction of the scent.

"I-I don't mind." She announced quietly.

"Alright, lets check it out!" Kiba cheered as he turned the way Shino was looking. He stopped quickly as he got a small glare from Shino. "Right, quiet, gotchya." Kiba quickly spat, imitating a zipper over his mouth. They set off at leisurely pace once Shino stopped his glare.

A small walk and a few minutes later and they found themselves in a very open area. Grass with a few splotches of dry dirt littered the ground. Trees and bushes surrounded it, closing it off to other things. All in all it would have seemed like a nice area to rest in if you weren't a ninja trying to hide. There was, however, one thing that turned the area into a macabre scene. Blood, it littered the whole area, the ground, the trees and the bushes were covered in blood. Some were just small spurts that could have come from a kunai cut. Others, were pools of blood that could have come from a person's slit throat.

Shino seemed to look over the area with blank stare thanks to his glasses. If anybody were to see what was under them they would be shocked, because his eyes were as wide as the lenses of his glasses in shock. _'What kind of jutsu could cause this degree of blood shed!?'_ Hinata was also thinking along these lines. She had only taken a few steps into the clearing and her legs refused to take her further. She merely stood with a hand to her mouth, shaking slightly as she looked over the bloodied area.

Kiba on the other hand was looking around the clearing with a mix of shock and awe. "I've gotta learn what the jutsu was that did this!" He mumbled to himself, Akamaru giving off a slight whimper, while covering his nose.

Shino heard his comment and looked over to Hinata quickly before addressing him. "Kiba, we are departing for the tower once again, now!" He then turned back to Hinata, walked up to her, blocking her view of the blood soaked area, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hinata, do not let your mind dwell on the battlefield. Now, let us make haste for the tower."

Hinata nodded once before she turned away from the area and walked back into the surrounding forest. She was soon followed Shino and then Kiba, who gave one last look over the area before walking through the bush after his teammates.

* * *

Naruto saw the hand-seal and, as if in slow motion, watched as Orochimaru's neck extended up and toward Sasuke. Naruto didn't think about what he did next, he knew what happened but it happened automatically for him. He slid his other arm out of his vest, got up to his feet and as fast as he could, dashed to stop the snake loving sannin. He felt his canines grow as did his whisker markings and nails.

He made it in front of Sasuke as Orochimaru's head came to Sasuke's shoulder. He grabbed Orochimaru's neck and yanked him away from Sasuke before he could sink his fangs into him. He brought his hand closer to Orochimaru's head and slammed it down into the branch. He was angry, he'd started to redirect the youki that was purging the venom into his muscles to make them move faster and to make them stronger. He wished he had more to activate the tails and claws. He started to breath heavily from the strain on his muscles since they were still under the influence of some of the venom.

Orochimaru took it in his stride as he looked up from his spot on the ground and studied the exposed seal on Naruto's stomach. "So, you are the container, that explains how you are able to move so soon. Excellent, you'll be a very useful subordinate... if you survive." He mused as he stretched his neck further and brought his face up to Naruto's right shoulder. Naruto yanked one of the knives from behind his back out and made a move to cut Orochimaru's neck wide open. He stopped short though, as Orochimaru bit down into his shoulder and started injecting something into his bloodstream.

Naruto got angrier and dropped the knife. He scratched at Orochimaru's face with his elongated nails, trying to get him off. Which Orochimaru did, once he tried using the fox claw jutsu on him. Orochimaru's head withdrew slightly to get away from the enraged Naruto. Naruto tried to chase him but fell short as he grabbed his right shoulder and started screaming in pain, collapsing to his knees. **"What did you do to me!?" **Naruto growled through the pain, the youki affecting his voice box.

Through out the whole incident, Sasuke had merely stared at the two as they fought, well, as Naruto fought. Sasuke was surprised by the sudden malice and rage shown in Naruto's eyes and the viciousness of Naruto's attacks, they were almost... animal-like. Not only that, but the sudden increase in power and speed. The seal showing up on Naruto's stomach and the red claws that had manifested over Naruto's hand only increased his curiosity... and envy. _'Where did he get that power and what's this guy talking about!? Container? A container for what?'_

"Something to remember me by, it will also help you seek me out." Orochimaru replied as he withdrew his head more. A black mark seemed to appear near where he'd bitten. It didn't take any shape, it merely shifted and changed, as if it couldn't decide on a shape. _'He's resisting it! It must be that Kitsune demon inside him. No matter, it will take over in the end, it is only a matter of time.'_ Naruto let out another scream of pain before he keeled over and fell into unconsciousness.

Naruto keeling over seemed to be the cue Sasuke needed as he got up shakily and tried to walk over to Naruto. Only to stop again. _'What the!? I can't even move now!'_ He forced his head to turn and look toward Orochimaru's hands. Sure enough they'd been put in another hand-seal.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu. I won't have you struggling like the other one. After all, you're my prize." Hissed the elevated head of Orochimaru. Sasuke could then only scream silently as Orochimaru sped forward and sunk his fangs into Sasuke's left shoulder. When he finally pulled away, Sasuke finally found his voice as he too started screaming. "There. You will seek me out, Sasuke, just as your teammate over there will. If either of you survive this, of course." Again, a black mark appeared near where Orochimaru had bitten. Unlike Naruto's, this one took shape immediately. It formed into three tomoe that circled each other.

* * *

Jade green eyes snapped open to the sound of Sasuke's screaming. Sakura lifted her upper body off the branch as quickly as possible. She turned her head quickly from left to right, searching for her two teammates, some shadow clones or the source of the screaming. When she found none and the screaming stopped, she started to panic.

"Otome? Otoooome?" She stiffened on hearing the hissing voice of Orochimaru. "Your teammates are in need of your care and protection, Otome." Sakura lifted herself up again so she was standing now. She was still slouching slightly from the stress of using a little too much chakra at once. Thankfully the soldier pill was still in her system and causing her body to replenish her reserves slightly faster than normal. After waiting a couple of seconds to regain her strength, she started to walk to the end of the branch.

She gasped when she reached the end and took in what was a few hundred feet below her on another couple of branches. There was Naruto and Sasuke, both convulsing slightly, out cold, laying face down on their branch. While across from them stood who looked to be the Kusa kunoichi who was staring right at her but her face was different, it was more, masculine. The Kusa kunoichi's hitai-ite had also changed, for some reason it had a sound emblem on it now. "What did you do to them!?" Sakura cried out as she prepared herself to leap from her branch.

"Me? I just gave them a little parting gift." Orochimaru replied as he looked to the two twitching genin. He then looked back up to Sakura. "I would have liked to kill you for being a meddler but they will be very vulnerable to enemies and any wild animals that may come their way for some time. It would be a shame if they were to be killed before they had a chance to try and survive their 'gift'." He/she started chuckling as he/she sunk into the tree branch.

"Wait! Who are you!? What did you really do to them!?" Sakura shouted as his/her head disappeared into the branch. Even though the strange shinobi had disappeared the chuckling was still resonating through the forest. If this would have happened before Naruto's training she probably would have broken down crying and holding onto her two teammates. Now though, she just let her tears fall as she leapt on to their branch and went about taking care of them. She ignored the fear and panic that seemed to build in her mind and focused on protecting her helpless teammates. She had to work fast, the sun had set after all.

* * *

Anko stopped abruptly as she felt a familiar chakra and a familiar pain in her shoulder. She took one glance around the area she was in and took off again with double the speed. _'He's near, I can feel him.'_ She thought as one hand rose to her shoulder. She dropped onto another branch and ran it's length before launching off the end again, her hand going back to her side.

She landed over a small entanglement of branches. She ricocheted off several of the small branches before landing on a larger branch. She started running again and launched herself off the branch, diving in between a pair of close branches. She landed again on a branch stump, the rest having either broken off from rot or a battle that happened previously.

Anko didn't dare about the state of the branch she was on though, not at that very moment, not with what she saw a few branches below her. There, on a very large, thick branch, was Orochimaru. He was almost out of the branch when she found him. He had also noticed her, because as soon as she had arrived he was staring directly at her.

Half of the face he had stolen was melted off, revealing his yellow iris and the purple marking that surrounded his eye. The part of his face that was revealed also revealed his own, sick grin, while the stolen skin was far too melted to move. He started to speak as soon as he fully emerged from the branch. "Ah, Anko-chan, so good to see you again."

"This is no time to reminisce. You're an S-class criminal, top of the most wanted list of Konoha and it's only fitting for me to be one to bring you down!" Anko shouted the last part as she lunged at her former sensei from her high branch. Two kunai dropped from both her sleeves as she lunged. She lobbed three at him while keeping a hold of the last one. He simply caught the thrown kunai as he stepped and then hopped back from her swiping at him with the kunai she still held. Instead of advancing again she raised her empty hand. "Senei Jashu! Get back here!" She yelled as snakes advanced from her sleeve and caught him, or so she thought.

The Orochimaru her snakes had caught turned into mud. "So sorry that I don't have the patience to play with you Anko-chan. I had my fill of fun with the other three, I have to say they were quite entertaining if not a little annoying." Orochimaru's voice sounded from behind Anko. She turned in time to see him perform a half ram seal.

A searing, paralyzing, pain erupted in Anko's left shoulder. "So you finally came back to assassinate Hokage-sama?" She ground out through gritted teeth.

"Oh no, not yet, I don't have enough followers to do that just yet." He replied in an almost playful voice.

She couldn't take it anymore, she groaned and dropped to her knees from the pain, her snakes returning quickly to her sleeve. She dropped her kunai as she screwed her eyes shut and put a hand to her curse mark. A couple of seconds and she managed to get over the pain enough to raise her head and open her eyes. Somehow, she also found the strength to talk again. "Who are the other three you were talking about!?"

Orochimaru seemed to completely ignore her as he spoke again. "Ah, the curse mark, I put that very same mark on two of those young genin a few moments ago." He walked up to her and kneeled in front of her to be eye-level. "One will be a very useful pawn while the other is a very promising prospect."

"You haven't changed at all, you're still selfish as always! Both of them will probably be dead by morning thanks to you!" Anko shouted as she was hit by another pulse of pain.

"True, the chance of surviving is one in ten. One of them may survive, though, as you did." He spoke completely calmly.

"Sounds like you want one of them pretty badly." Anko spat back.

"Jealous, Anko? You can't forgive your old sensei for using you and then tossing you aside? Regardless, the one I want has more potential than you had. You see the one I wish to survive has inherited the sublime abilities of the Uchiha clan. Then, once I'm done with the Uchiha, the Kyuubi brat will make a very good little attack dog." He stood and spread his arms in a shrugging gesture. "At the very least they make things interesting. Just make sure that no one stops the exams early." He turned and started walking away. "Three of my followers are also in the exams, I'd like to see how they fare." At those words he vanished in a blaze of purple flames. Even with his body gone his voice still echoed through the trees. "Keep this in mind. If anything happens to deprive me of my fun anymore, it will mean the end of Konoha."

* * *

Sakura sat at the entrance of a small hollow of a tree that was hidden by a couple of bushes. There were small gaps in the bushes so she could see if there was anyone coming towards them or near them. She'd managed to drag her teammates and Naruto's vest along with them all the way there. She'd had to go back over their trail to the hideout since dragging Naruto's vest along had dug up some dirt. _'What the hell did senpai do to his clothes! That thing felt heavier than all three of us put together!'_

**_'CHA! We'll make sure he pays for making us drag that thing back!'_ **Her inner persona shouted.

She smiled lightly at what her inner self said as she looked back over to her two teammates. She'd laid them both next to each other and had to take both their hitai-ite's off to place a damp cloth on their foreheads to stave off a fever. "If they wake up." She mumbled quietly before going to change the cloths. It had already been a good few hours since there fight with Orochimaru and neither had stirred. They just kept convulsing every now and then.

She'd had to take out the medical supplies along with the water from Naruto's scroll to take care of them. She'd also had to borrow some kunai and shuriken to arm herself, she also took the knife Naruto had dropped for good luck. She hadn't fully comprehended her lost hair yet, rather she didn't care right now since her teammates needed help.

She got a small shock as she went to change Naruto's cloth because when she got near him she noticed something she hadn't noticed from her place at the entrance. There was some sort of dim, red aura surrounding Naruto's body and it looked like it was getting a little brighter. She shook off the shock and quickly replaced his dry cloth with a damp one.

She crawled back to the entrance and gave a quick scan beyond the bushes before settling back down. She held Naruto's knife a little closer to her chest as she thought of this new information. _'This is either really good or really bad, hopefully it's good since that black stuff on his shoulder still hasn't taken shape.'_

* * *

Up in a tree, not far from Sakura's position, sat the three sound ninja from before the exams. "Can we please kill her now and then kill the other two? It took us long enough to find them thanks to that hiding place of their's and pinkie's little genjutsu's didn't make it any easier." Zaku asked in an annoyed tone.

"Hey! I noticed them and got rid of them quick enough didn't I?" Kin retorted angrily.

"Yeah, after having gone through them like three times! Even then we only found them thanks to that trail of dug up dirt that led here." Zaku retorted holding up three of his fingers.

Kin was about to shoot back an insult but Dosu beat her to the punch. "Both of you! Shut up! We found them and that's all that matters right now." He turned to look at both of them before speaking again. "We'll wait until morning before we attack. Then that girl will be too fatigued to put up much of a fight. We'll take turns to watch her until morning just in case she tries moving them again. Kin, you take first watch, then wake up Zaku after about an hour. Zaku, you do the same for me after another hour. I'll watch until morning from there." He stated clearly with the intent to harm if they argued with his orders. He received two simultaneous nods before he and Zaku stalked off to rest and leave Kin to the watch.

* * *

Ten-ten was currently looking over a team of genin from Taki. Her team had split up about half an hour ago to look for other teams. After they'd left the entrance gate they'd found a secure location and rested up until early the next morning to look for teams that had laid down to rest. The order given by Neji had been clear, head out and then get back to the meeting place in exactly one hour. Right now she was pondering on wether or not to engage the enemy. Finally she gave a slight nod and slipped out the scroll Naruto had given her. She gave a small smile at the sight of the gift, it really boosted her arsenal.

She unrolled it quietly and brought a finger to her chin, trying to remember which seal the weapon she wanted was in. It only took a couple of seconds to remember as she went to the middle seal and released the weapons sealed within it. _'I'm gonna have to remember to separate these things when I get the chance.'_ She thought as she picked up a knife with several ropes attached to the bottom of the handle along with several kunai from her own holster. She started tying kunai to the ends of the ropes._ 'Now I just have to wait for one to go off on their own.'_ She thought when she secured the final kunai.

She didn't have to wait long as one of the Taki ninja got up, woke up one of his teammates that had been sleeping, exchanged a few quick words with him and then walked behind some bushes._ 'Perfect.'_ Ten-ten hopped over her pile of weapons, the knife and it's trailing ropes grasped in her right hand. She quickly and silently made her way over to the lone Taki ninja.

When she found him, he was about to open up his fly. She moved quickly to keep him from going any further. She started spinning the kunai weighted ropes over her head by the knife handle, like a set of bolas and threw them at the Taki nin. He did manage to turn his head at the last second, just to see one of the kunai plunge into his shoulder, another to dig into the tree he was next to and the ropes wrap around his arms, torso and the tops of his legs. Ten-ten wasn't that far behind the make shift bolas as she dropped down behind him and brought a kunai along with the knife that held the ropes up to his throat.

"Try to scream and I'll slit your throat." She informed him in a low and deadly voice. No sooner had she said that, a twig snapped behind her. She instantly thought she'd been found out and brought the kunai closer to the nins throat. "Come on out or I'll kill your teammate!"

"Baka! I told you to be careful!" A voice sounded from behind one tree.

"What's the point? We were gonna show ourselves sooner or later anyway." Another voice sounded from another tree, although, it sounded exactly the same as the first.

"That's true." The first voice said again as it's owner stepped out from behind a tree in her line of sight, revealing it to be...

"Naruto-kun!" Ten-ten exclaimed as she almost dropped the kunai she'd been holding.

"Yep!" Another Naruto announced as he dropped down next to the first. "We're clones! We've been trailing these guys waiting for the right time to inform the original. We were gonna catch this guy like you did and then tell the original but you beat us to him." He finished.

"Okay... that explains why you're here, but why haven't you tried taking a scroll from me too?" Ten-ten asked with a confused look. Her grip loosening slightly on her kunai.

"Oh, that, well, ano, the original wants all the rookies to get through these tests as far as possible. As far as I can tell he wants your team to get through too. Something about wanting to have a chance of fighting one of your teammates and seeing how much your skills have grown." One clone answered as he held a finger to his temple with his eyes closed in a thinking pose.

Ten-ten stayed quite as she had an 'Oh!' expression on her face. That expression was quickly replaced by surprise as the Taki nin started struggling and then turned into a log. He reappeared a second later leaping over their heads, heading back to his campsite. "Dammit!Seeing as you guys are here mind helping me get a scroll from those guys?"

"Ten-chan..." One Naruto started as both of them covered a fist with the opposite hand.

"... it would be our pleasure!" The other finished as they both cracked their knuckles. The next moment all three had disappeared, leaving a dust cloud in their wake.

* * *

Neji and Lee sat impatiently, waiting for Ten-ten's return. There had been near fifteen minutes since they were supposed to regroup. Lee was also jumping for joy on the inside though as he had actually completed a task he had assigned to himself. He had promised that if he could catch twenty leaves before they hit the ground that Sakura would start liking him. Seeing as he had actually accomplished a task for once, it meant that it would come true... right?

"Where is she?" Neji muttered, more to himself rather than Lee.

"Do not worry Neji-kun! I am sure she will be back soon! She probably just found a team and decided to show off her Flames of Youth by taking their scroll!" Lee announced a little too loudly while punching a fist in the air.

"Lee, if you don't turn down your voice, I will use my Jyuuken to silence you." Neji stated in a cold tone, not even glancing Lee's way.

Lee was about to respond when another voice joined the conversation. "I'd do as he says Lee. 'Cause if he doesn't get you to quiet down, I will!" Ten-ten dropped down a few feet from them. "Sorry I'm late but I did manage to get a scroll!" She announced with glee as she held out a white heaven scroll. She also had a few small cuts and grazes decorating her arms and face. Her clothes seemed a little ruffled and worn as well.

"We already have a heaven scroll, Ten-ten." Neji stated coldly, staring at the heaven scroll held up by Ten-ten.

"I know that! But I know a way to turn it into an earth scroll too!" She stated with a smile that showed she knew something they didn't.

"YOSH! What do we need to do Ten-ten-chan!" Lee asked excitedly as he hopped off the root he was sitting on, a goofy smile decorating his face.

"First off, be quiet Lee, that's your last warning. To turn this into an earth scroll all we have to do is find Naruto-kun's team." She informed them calmly as she tucked the scroll into her shirt. "Before you ask, I met some of his clones when I tried getting a scroll by myself. He's got a ton of them tracking other teams to try and get their scrolls. One of them got destroyed while we were fighting and the other told me about the original having two earth scrolls before he disappeared too. So we could probably trade our extra for their extra." Ten-ten finished in a matter of fact tone.

Neji had a bemused look cross his face as he processed what she said. "Hmph, alright, let us search for the Uzumaki's team and trade scrolls." Neji announced as he stood confidently and activated his Byakugan. "This way." He ordered after a couple of seconds of scanning the area. All three took to the east immediately.

* * *

A few hours later at the sound ninja's location. Zaku was currently trying to wake both of his teammates. It was already almost time for Dosu's watch but in the last few minutes of his watch, Sakura had almost fallen asleep a couple of times. "C'mon, move it assholes!" He kicked Kin in her shin causing her to wake up with a hiss and a glare directed towards him.

Dosu woke up a second later. "Don't even start fighting. Why are you waking both of us up?" He asked in a bored sort of tone.

"'Cause she's almost falling asleep over there! I say we attack her now!" Zaku announced with an impatient tone.

"Show me." Were the only two words Dosu said before the three headed towards the watch post, Kin delivering a quick kick to Zaku's shin on the way.

* * *

**Author Notes;**

Whoever wants to know, Otome means little girl, all I'm hoping is that I used it in the right context.


	22. A Kill in The Forest of Death!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 22 – A Kill in The Forest of Death

* * *

**Last time:**

"'Cause she's almost falling asleep over there! I say we attack her now!" Zaku announced with an impatient tone.

"Show me." Were the only two words Dosu said before the three headed towards the watch post, Kin delivering a quick kick to Zaku's shin on the way.

* * *

**This Chapter:**

Naruto's eyes blinked open slowly as he took in his surroundings. It took a second but he finally recognized the area he was in. He was back in his apartment, or at least what looked like his apartment. He sat up quickly but just as soon as he did, he flinched and shot a hand for his right shoulder. _'What the hell!?' _He thought as he looked at the shapeless, black blob that decorated his shoulder.

"**You finally woke up but you forgot about that? I honestly wonder what all the years of training was for sometimes you know that, Kit?" **Kyuubi announced from the couch. Even though he was on the couch he had brought both his feet on to the couch and was sitting indian style. He seemed to be meditating.

"Kyu-sensei? What happened? The last thing I remember, I was about to slit Orochimaru's throat. Why am I here?" Naruto asked, confusion etched on his face along with a small twitch of pain, his hand still on his right shoulder.

"**From what I saw, it seems Orochimaru bit you and put something in your bloodstream. I'm trying to isolate the substance right now, I'm guessing that's why the mark on your shoulder hasn't taken shape." **Kyuubi answered, not once moving any part of his body except his mouth.

"So what is it? What did he inject me with?" Naruto asked pleadingly.

* * *

"See! I told you! She's already fatigued! We can attack them now right?" Zaku asked impatiently.

"Hmm, Kin?" Was Dosu's only reply.

Kin nodded and formed the ram seal. After a few seconds she dropped her hands and shook her head. "I can't sense any more genjutsu down there, it's safe."

Dosu narrowed his eyes at the small clearing they would have to clear to get to them. "I'm not so sure, she still had time before we found her to do something. I doubt she would have wasted it all by resting." He thought aloud. "Zaku, seeing as you're so eager, why don't you go in first. I'm sure you can defend yourself from traps."

"Finally some action! I'm gonna have so much fun beating the snot out of these guys." He cackled as he dropped off the branch he was on.

* * *

"An enzyme?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"**Hai, it seems to be collecting amino acids and creating symbols for a seal by connecting them and making proteins. Some of it managed to get into the rest of your body before I could isolate it all. That's probably why you felt the pain and passed out. It was breaking down some of your muscles to use for creating the seal. Not to mention the seals that would be connected to your chakra coils. To set up that connection it would put even more stress on your body. From the stress something like this would put on a body, you could have died if the process were to continue. I've managed to collect them all back into the original area now though." **Kyuubi clarified for the blonde.

"So, can you destroy it?" Naruto asked in a hopeful tone.

"**I'm afraid not. Normally, I would be able to destroy it by focusing some heat on the area with my youki but this enzyme is tougher than normal human enzymes. It has been reinforced with Orochimaru-teme's chakra, the only way to stop it now would be to expel it and for you to destroy any symbols it was able to create before I stopped it. If you were to try and destroy the symbols with the enzyme still in your body then the symbols would most probably just be rebuilt."**

"This is probably the same as what Anko has in her isn't it?" He received a silent nod from Kyuubi. "Kuso! This is gonna make it harder to get rid of that seal on her now. Baka, baka, baka!"

* * *

Sakura's head snapped up as dust started kicking up in the clearing beyond the bush that concealed her. She peered through the bushes only to dive to the side a split second later as a wind ripped half the bush up and revealed her position. She got back up as soon as the wind died. Her inner persona started cursing up a storm when she saw who had attacked her. _'It had to be these guys!'_

There, in the middle of the clearing, stood Zaku. Both of his arms were outstretched, pointing towards her location. She also noticed two small conclaves in the earth either side of him. "No traps? I was so sure you would have put some on the ground since the dirt had been disturbed recently. You disappoint, pinky." Zaku heckled as he started charging up another blast from his arms.

At those words Sakura did nothing more than smile. She took Naruto's knife away from her chest and swiftly cut three wires that were hidden in the shadow of the hollow. "There are traps, they're just not that obvious!" Sakura yelled as large stones started falling from above Zaku. Along with several kunai being flung from either side and a log coming straight toward him. His back was blocked by the very tree he had been hiding in.

Zaku looked about panickingly. He'd fallen right into her trap, it didn't matter which one he blocked he'd get hit by the one he didn't. _'How'd I get tricked like this!'_

Sakura couldn't believe her luck, she had intended for those three traps to work separately depending on which way the enemy advanced. But it looks like the fates were smiling upon her since Zaku had decided to land where he did.

All the traps seemed hit at once and kicked up a large volume of dust obscuring Sakura's view. _**'CHA! We got him!' **_Her inner persona cheered as she stared at the point of impact, waiting for confirmation.

* * *

"If I'd have gone and started destroying the seal on her body... she could have died from the process of restoring the seal. Baka, baka, baka! I should have thought of something like this since the symbols were inside her!" He started to hit his head only to hiss and return his hand to his shoulder. He calmed slightly and looked back to Kyuubi. "So, what happens now Kyu-sensei?"

"**Now, you need to wake up and cut open the area where I've isolated the enzyme. Then you need to bleed it out as you would if a poison were to enter your system. To wake you up I'm slowly flooding your body with youki. I can't do it very quickly because I need to concentrate on holding the enzyme in place as well as purify the youki before giving it to you. Don't worry, only a few more minutes and there should be enough in your system to force you to wake up." **Kyuubi's face scrunched up slightly after he finished.** "That was close, some of it almost got free. I swear, it's like these enzymes are alive, they keep trying to get free."**

* * *

While Naruto had Kyuubi to stop the curse seal from forming and spreading all over his body. Sasuke on the other hand didn't. His mind was trying to cope with the stress his body was going through. His muscles being broken down and his central coil being messed with, he was starting to hallucinate from the pain. He found himself in a space, he was surrounded by different shades of a golden colour, he just stood there, even though there didn't seem to be a floor.

_'Where am I? What is this place?' _He thought as he surveyed the area through half lidded eyes. _'Am I... dead?'_

"I couldn't save them, I was too weak." Came a young voice from behind Sasuke. His eyes opened fully as he snapped around to find a child, a young boy, with dark hair, his head bowed.

* * *

"Not bad, pinky!" A feminine voice called from beyond the dust cloud. "You actually caught one of us off guard. Then again it was Zaku." Kin finished once the dust finally cleared, revealing the three Oto nin. Dosu was in front of the three his gauntlet bared, with the log in splinters on the ground. Zaku still stood where he was originally with both arms pointed upward, the large rocks, mere pebbles around them. Kin was the last one she noticed, Kin had two senbon drawn and several kunai held between her fingers as all the other weapons littered the area.

"Don't start that again Kin. We have to be focused to complete this mission." Dosu ordered as he lowered his arm.

Zaku followed immediately by lowering his arms as well. "That does it, I'm gonna enjoy killing that Uchiha guy and the blonde one right in front of your eyes now! Then I'm gonna have a little 'fun' with you!" Zaku yelled as he took a step forward.

Sakura tightened her grip on Naruto's knife when she heard what he planned to do. _'He wants to kill them!' _She didn't care about the remark he made about her. _'He wants to kill them!!'_

"Just be a little more careful this time, Zaku." Dosu told him, meaning he was allowing Zaku to attack her.

Sakura frowned as she plucked a kunai that had held one of the wires from before out of the ground. _'I won't let him! He's not getting near them! Not after all we've survived!'_

Zaku chuckled lightly as he started walking forward. "Awesome, this is gonna be good."

_'Naruto-senpai took his time to train me. Sasuke-kun, gave me a reason to get stronger! They both looked out for me when I needed them.' _She thought of all the times Naruto had used his clones to protect her and get her out of harms way. Then the time Sasuke had her use her defensive jutsu on just herself so she would use less chakra, even if it was so he could try and beat Haku._ 'I looked out for them when I could but even then I still needed to be saved.' _She thought as she remembered the time she had blocked a sword and saved Sasuke's neck. Only to need saving from Naruto when she was about to be stabbed and she closed her eyes in fear. She dragged herself up to a standing position. Her arms held steady by her sides, ready to attack.

"What do you know, looks like she's ready to let us through." Zaku announced. It was true, when Sakura stood she had uncovered the entrance into the hollow where Naruto and Sasuke lay.

_'He wants to kill them? Not on my watch! After all the times they protected me... it's my turn to protect them!' _She thought as she brought both hands in front of her in a hand-seal, still holding the two weapons. She looked up at Zaku with an open glare. "You want to kill them!? Then you're gonna have to do it OVER MY DEAD BODY!" At the end of her proclamation five clones shimmered into existence around her.

"Bunshin? That's one of the lowest level jutsu out there. What do you expect to do with those?" Zaku heckled as he walked ever closer, his hitai-ite reflecting a stray beam of the early morning light.

Sakura smirked to herself as she and all her images quickly released the weights on their limbs. Sakura's were the only ones to make any sound when they hit the ground making a very audible thud along with sinking into the ground slightly. She brought both hands with their respective weapons out to bear in front of her, as did each of her images. "I plan to protect my teammates... and maybe kill you while doing it!" She announced as she and the clones dashed forward while zig-zaging between themselves, snarls decorating each of their faces, with a feral and determined look in all their eyes.

Zaku lost the real Sakura instantly as they surrounded him. Each of the Sakura's lunged forward with one of the two weapons in their hands except one which attacked with both. _'That's it! She's the real one!' _He screamed mentally as he turned a palm to the one that was coming at him with both kunai and knife. He let loose a blast of wind, right in Sakura's face, only for the image to disappear.

"WRONG ONE!" Sakura shouted from behind him as she dug the kunai into his left shoulder. She quickly followed up with a diagonal slash across his back with Naruto's knife. Her attack elicited wide eyes from Dosu and Kin as they both rushed forward to help their teammate. His right hand clutching his left shoulder, trying to find any comfort from the pain. Zaku gave a grunt of pain as he rounded on the real one and dropped to one knee, his face twisted into an expression of pain and anger.

Only for her and the clones to start running in circles around him, the kunai left behind in Zaku's shoulder. _'Got to focus chakra in my legs so I can run faster!'_ Even if there was that difference it was still difficult to find the real Sakura as they all became a blur of pink and red around Zaku. His head snapped from left to right as he tried to make out the individual Sakuras so he could attack the real one.

Dosu and Kin had to stop suddenly as exactly five kunai came at them from the group of Sakuras. Dosu brought up his gauntlet ready to block the three that were headed for him. Kin, on the other hand, just stood as the two directed at her came ever closer. "Are you kidding me? It's obvious these are the bunshin kunai! She just threw them at us to get rid of any differences!"

Dosu knew better, he could hear the whistling of a kunai as the five were coming at them. "Kin don't get cocky!" He shouted as the three directed at him passed through him and then disappeared.

Kin just let out a gasp as the real kunai had found it's place in her gut. She hacked up blood as she grasped at the kunai in her solar plexus. "She... she got me! THAT LITTLE BITCH GOT ME!" Kin shouted as she dashed toward the wall of red, rage in her eyes.

"That's not all I'm gonna do!" Sakura announced as she and the remaining four clones stopped moving. Two of the Sakuras were staring intently at Kin, one of which held both a kunai and the knife from Naruto.

Both did three hand-seals but before one could perform a jutsu, Zaku spoke up from inside the ring. "THAT'S ENOUGH! ZANKUUHA!" He pointed both his arms at the ground as a strong wind was generated, blowing away all the Sakuras around him. Four of the Sakuras shimmered from existence as the real one was revealed to be one of the two that was about to attack Kin.

"There you are." Kin mumbled as she drew four senbon and threw them at the downed Sakura. She rolled away from her spot and leapt to her feet but not before two of the senbon found a spot in her arm and shoulder. She didn't even seem to notice the two though.

"Got you this time!" Zaku announced as he pointed both his arms at her again. "Zankuuha!" Another blast of strong wind impacted with Sakura. That wasn't all though, as Kin decided to throw a few senbon into the wind and try to get rid of her that way.

All the senbon hit Sakura as she fought against the wind. Only for her to disappear in a puff of smoke and be replaced with a log. _'Where'd she go!? She's much stronger than our original information suggested!' _Dosu thought as he directed his hearing to the forest around them. "Zaku, behind you!" He shouted as a hail of senbon erupted from a bush behind Zaku.

"Futon: Gorikki Kaze no Jutsu!" Sakura shouted as she appeared from the bush and blew out a strong wind that sped up the deadly needles she'd thrown. Deadly was the precise word as well. When Zaku turned and tried to fire off his own blast of wind he was slightly too late as several senbon hit him in the neck and the rest in his chest. The ones in his neck had actually gone through his spinal cord while a majority of the ones in his chest had punctured his heart.

Kin and Dosu's eyes went wide as Zaku's arms dropped, his eyes dimmed and some blood seeped from the senbon around his heart before he finally dropped to the ground, dead. _'I can't believe it! The bitch actually killed him! No more, I have to stop her now!' _Dosu thought as he stared intently at Sakura.

_'She... did it!?' _Kin thought in disbelief. She dashed over to the fallen Zaku after sparing a quick glance toward Sakura.

* * *

Anko shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Her curse seal was still burning. She was slightly pissed to say the least. Not only had Orochimaru gotten away but when he left her she'd almost been eaten by some over-grown tigers. Normally she could have easily escaped or beaten them but thanks to the seal she was weakened. She was saved by the two ANBU Black Ops she'd sent for.

She was then convinced to tell the Hokage about Orochimaru being in the village since the Black Ops noticed her curse seal. The old man had taken it particularly well. He didn't order her to do anything in particular. He just told her to continue the exams as normal. He even figured out that Sasuke was Orochimaru's target.

One thing she made sure to do while she had the chance to, was ask about Naruto.

_Flashback start_

"_Hokage-sama, before I leave, I have one last question. It's about Uzumaki Naruto." Anko started nervously. She'd heard from other jounins since asking about, that the Hokage favoured Naruto slighlty._

"_Ah, Naruto-kun? What about him? He isn't causing trouble in the exams is he?" The Hokage asked with a chuckle. His chuckle quickly died when he saw that Anko wasn't smiling with him._

"_That's not it Hokage-sama. He found out about my seal and... he claims that he can destroy it for me. I just wondered if you know wether or not he is capable of removing it. Also, wether or not he could be trusted with the workings of the seal." Anko asked with her head lowered._

_Sarutobi frowned slightly in thought. "I'd trust Naruto-kun with my life. There is no need to worry about the workings of the seal in his hands. I doubt he would use such a thing on his worst enemy."_

_Anko cracked a grin. "He actually said the same thing when I asked him what he would do with the information he would gain from the seal. That settles that, what about getting rid of the seal though?" She asked as she covered the seal with her hand again._

"_Did he promise he would get rid of it for you? Did he actually use the exact word 'promise'?" Sarutobi asked back._

"_Yeah, he did." Anko answered with a nod._

_The Hokage leaned back in his chair and took out his pipe, his face broken in a smile. "Then he will get rid of it." Sarutobi took out some tobacco and stuffed his pipe with it. He lit it quickly with a match from his sleeve. "He will do whatever he can to destroy that seal now. He's made a promise, he's bound by his nindō to complete it." He took a drag from his pipe and let the smoke from his lungs pour out in a stream._

_Flashback End_

_'Bound by his nindō, huh?' _Anko thought as she finally settled and placed her head in her hands. "Gaki, you sure got got a lot of bite to back up your bark." Anko muttered as she looked at some reports that had been left by a proctor.

She was stopped abruptly when another proctor burst through the door. "Anko-taichou, I have something important that I have to show you!" He said hurriedly as he rushed to the VCR in the room and inserted a tape.

_'What now?' _Anko whined internally.

* * *

Sakura was in more shock than she had ever been in before. _'I did it! I... I killed him!' _She felt a small amount of bile enter the back of her throat. She started feeling sick and probably would have started retching. She didn't have much more time to think about it though as Dosu appeared in front of her.

She saw the fist coming at her in a punch and she did what her instinct told her after so many spars with Naruto, block or dodge. She chose to block using Naruto's knife. She placed her empty hand behind the blade as she deflected the Oto nin's strike. The clang of metal on metal rang through the forest. "Not good enough this time, pinky." Dosu muttered as he focused his chakra.

Sakura heard his quiet announcement and it hit her, the image of Kabuto dodging the attack and then keeling over came to the forefront of her mind. _'His attacks have a trick to them!' _The next thing she knew her vision doubled... and then tripled. She stumbled back slightly, her empty hand covering half her face as she tried to clear her vision.

Dosu took a quick step forward and slammed his his left fist into the side of her head. "You still won't go down without some help will you!" He shouted as she finally started falling.

She finally dropped the knife she'd been gripping. It hit the ground with a dull thud that never made it to her ears. Shortly after the knife her head hit the dirt. _'No good, I can't seem to keep my eyes open. Gomen, Senpai. Gomen, Sasuke-kun...'_

Those were her final thoughts before she finally passed out, her body and her mind not able to take all the recent events. Dosu examined the spent form of Sakura before him with what appeared to be frown from under the bandages. _'She was a tough bitch! What the hell happened to make her that strong? Did she get extra training after she was entered into the Uchiha's team? Hm, doesn't matter anymore. She's down. Now all we have to do is finish the three of them off before we head to the tower. Orochimaru-sama is gonna be pissed that one of us was killed but at least we still completed the mission he gave us.' _At the last thought he picked up the knife Sakura had dropped. "Kin!"

Kin looked up from Zaku's lifeless body. "He's gone Dosu! She got him good!"

"I already know that! I heard his heart and breathing stop. I want you to finish off the other two while I take care of her." Kin didn't bother replying, she gave herself a quick nod. She stood up and started for the hollow that contained Sasuke and Naruto.

Dosu looked back down to Sakura. "I'm going to make sure that you don't die straight away pinky. I'm gonna make sure your death is gonna be nice and slow." Dosu commented in a low and deadly voice. He raised the knife Sakura dropped, ready to start the torture. At least he was, until a kunai lodged itself in the ground right next to Sakura. "Huh?"

* * *

_'Who is that?' _Sasuke thought as he examined the small boy. He wore plain, dark clothing, nothing exceptional.

He rose his head to look at Sasuke. "Kaa-chan and Tou-san are dead... because I wasn't strong enough!"

It was upon seeing the child's face that he figured it out. _'That's me, a long time ago!'_

The golden coloured space that Sasuke was in suddenly flashed before turning into a scene he never wanted to see again. He was back in the room he had found his mother and father dead in. The room he had been put through hell in, thanks to his brother. They were even there, right in front of him, his mother and father, blood leaking from their wounds and forever staining the floor in his eyes.

* * *

"Dainamikku-Entorii!" A voice shouted from the forest, right before a green blur flew right past Dosu's head. He looked back to see a small cloud of dust form where the green blur landed, blocking his view. "Darn it! Forgive me Gai-sensei, I missed!" The same voice as before announced from the dust cloud.

"I told you it was a bad idea to try Gai-sensei's attack Lee. Especially since you haven't practiced a lot with it." A more feminine voice called from the forest again. "It's good thing you asked me to throw the kunai though. Knowing you, you might have hit Sakura."

"Who are you guys!?" Dosu shouted from frustration.

The dust cloud settled enough to show Rock Lee, ready to fight in his usual fighting stance. "I am Rock Lee! The Handsome Green Beast of Konoha! I will not allow you to lay a hand on Sakura-chan!"

"Stupid, Konoha brats!" Dosu shouted as he prepared to lunge the knife into Sakura. Before he could bring the knife down though, he was launched a few metres back into the clearing. Dosu spun in mid air, righting himself so he would land on his feet and looked back to where he had been. Only to find Lee standing there with the unconscious Sakura in his arms. "I see, so you have some speed in you." Dosu gave a dry chuckle. "But her life is the least of your worries."

Neji activated his byakugan from his hiding spot and instantly noticed Kin in the hollow. She seemed to be ready to cut Naruto's throat open. It was also the point at which he noticed a strange chakra coming off Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

His younger self spoke up again. "They're all dead, the whole clan. All because I was weak. They all died because I couldn't save them. If only I'd been stronger, if only I'd had more power!" Sasuke actually gasped slightly at that remark.

"Instead, you stood by and watched them die." The younger Sasuke reached up to his eye and a tearing sound was heard. His voice also seemed to change as he kept talking. "So helpless... like lambs to the slaughter. If only you were stronger, if only you had more POWER!" The last word wasn't shouted or yelled or screamed but it was spoken with a certain ferocity. Which was only accentuated by the younger Sasuke revealing an eye that belonged to Orochimaru.

Sasuke had, had enough, his skin started to burn as his vision started becoming clearer and power seemed to surge into every cell before his world went white.

* * *

His eyes snapped open and the first thing he saw was Kin hovering over Naruto. A kunai ready to swipe across his neck. He snapped into a sitting position and grabbed Kin's arm, stopping her attempt to kill Naruto. She turned to face the one that had stopped her and regretted it almost instantly. Sasuke's sharingan was staring right back at her, flame like patterns covering half his face, as well as the large amounts of chakra rolling off him.

The next moment she felt another hand grab her free arm. She looked down and again regretted her decision. Staring up at her were Naruto's red fox eyes along with Kyuubi's youki. It wasn't much, but considering she had never felt anything like it before, it was suffocating. "Thanks for the save, Teme." Naruto growled out as he stood up, still keeping a firm hold of Kin's arm.

"Anytime, Dobe. After all, I still need to fight you for real and I can't do that if you're dead." Sasuke stated as he too stood up still keeping a grip on Kin's arm.

"I'm touched." Naruto replied before placing a swift chop to Kin's neck, knocking her out.

* * *

Neji let a small smirk decorate his face before revealing himself to Dosu. "I wouldn't say that. I doubt your teammate can do much harm when she's knocked out." He stated smugly as Dosu's eyes widened.

"What did you do?" Dosu asked in a surprised voice.

"Me? Nothing. It was their doing." Neji stated while gesturing to the two figures walking out of the hollow.

Sasuke was the first to emerge. His eyes locked onto Sakura's prone form in Lee's arms. "Who did that to her?" He asked in a low and deadly voice.

"Tell us, so we can break their bones." Naruto followed up as he emerged out of the hollow with an unconscious Kin over his shoulder. He unceremoniously threw her next to Zaku's body.

Both their sights then locked onto the only active member of the Oto team. "You." They both stated in the same tone. Then it happened in the blink of an eye. They both disappeared then reappeared either side of Dosu. Naruto grabbed Dosu's right arm, paying special attention to the gauntlet as Sasuke grabbed the left arm and twisted it so Dosu was in a half nelson. He then Kicked Dosu in the back of his knee, forcing him to the ground.

"I've been thinking about it since I saw your attack in the exam room. This is what caused Kabuto to keel over isn't it? It does something to the human body without having to be in contact with it. You seem to be very proud of it." Naruto stated as he tightened his grip on Dosu's bicep and tapped the gauntlet. "I wonder what'll happen if I crack it like an egg!" Naruto growled as he brought up his right knee. He then slammed his right elbow down on the gauntlet and compacted it between his knee and elbow. The gauntlet shattering to many pieces, along with the bones in Dosu's forearm.

Ten-ten flinched slightly at the viciousness of it. _'That's not like the Naruto I know.'_

Neji simply frowned slightly at the amount of speed and power the two where exhibiting. _'Such strong and strange chakra. What are these two?'_

Dosu let out howl of pain from his shattered bones. Sakura's eyelids fluttered slightly as the howl seemed to rouse her. Although it went unnoticed by Lee who was watching her teammates. He was fascinated by the flame markings that covered Sasuke's face and arm.

Sasuke smirked as he twisted the other arm ever so slightly. Dosu felt the new pain in his left arm and his howl was cut short by it. "Please let us go. Just let me go and I'll leave our scroll and take my teammates away. We'll never bother any of you again."

"You should have thought of that before you attacked us and tried to kill us!" Sasuke all but shouted as he twisted the left arm back around and brought it around Dosu's neck. Effectively strangling the Oto nin with his own arm.

Sakura brought her head up slightly and saw what Sasuke and Naruto were doing. Panic and fear quickly welled up in her. _'This is wrong! They're not acting like they usually do. They're not supposed to be this cruel!' _Her hand shot up to her head as a headache quickly ensued thanks to the final hit she took. "No, no, NO! Sasuke-kun! Senpai! STOP IT!" She shouted as she screwed her eyes shut. She couldn't stand the look of malice in Sasuke's sharingan.

Lee's, Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes all widened when they heard her shout. "She's right Naruto. He's suffered enough. Let him go." Ten-ten shouted before she dropped down into the clearing and stared directly into Naruto's eyes.

"Ten-chan? Sakura-chan?" Naruto muttered before he looked back down to what he held in his hands. He then looked up into Dosu's face and saw the pain and fear in his eye. "You're... right... Teme, let him go." Naruto ordered Sasuke as he dropped the arm he'd been holding.

"Forget it, Dobe. I'm not taking your advice this time!" Sasuke hissed as he pulled harder on the arm closing more of Dosu's air way.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held Dosu's arm. "It's an order this time, Teme. If you won't do it for me then do it for Sakura." Naruto replied, nodding to Sakura.

Sasuke let up on Dosu for a moment as he looked over at Sakura. He saw the fear that was in her eyes. He saw it and he didn't like that, that fear was because of him. He let go of Dosu's arm, to which Dosu quickly rubbed his throat. He then proceeded to cradle his broken arm.

Naruto walked over to Zaku and Kin's prone forms. He knelt next Zaku and gave the body a quick once over. He nodded and procured a scroll from a storage seal in the third scroll he carried, the seal seemed to hold dozens of them. He quickly created the necessary seal on the blank scroll and sealed the body in it. He then picked up both the scroll and Kin's prone form. He placed them in front of Dosu and received the scroll, a heaven scroll in their place.

"You're all very skilled and powerful, I hope we don't meet again." Dosu muttered as he picked up his dead teammate and then his unconscious one. He quickly leapt away afterwards.

The flame like markings on Sasuke finally receded when he deemed the threat gone. He fell back into a sitting position, gasping for breath as if he'd just run five laps around Konoha as fast as he could. Lee lowered Sakura's feet gently to the ground so she could stand. She ran over to Sasuke as quickly as she could. She dropped to her knees and quickly looked him over, looking for any wounds.

"Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere? What was that just now?" Sakura asked quickly as she placed a green glowing hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine Sakura, really. That was just the power flowing through me. It's nothing to worry about." Sasuke answered as best he could. In his mind though, he spoke the truth. _'I understand. I'm an avenger. And to be an avenger I need power. Even if it means I'm completely taken over by evil, I have to gain power.' _He looked down to his left hand as it shook. _'Power to kill my brother and avenge my clan.'_

All the while Lee and his team merely stood back and watched as Sakura took care of Sasuke. Only Ten-ten and Neji noticed Naruto go back inside the hollow while gripping the scroll in his right hand. His left hand was occupying his right shoulder for some reason.

Ten-ten glanced quickly at Neji. She received a quick nod and then followed Naruto. "Naruto-kun? You okay? It looked like you hurt yourself." Ten-ten called as she entered the hollow. She instantly saw Naruto sitting with his back to her. In the short time he'd been in the hollow he'd managed to pull his vest back on to cover up his back. He had some medical supplies strewn about him and the heaven scroll he'd just received right next to him.

"I'm fine Ten-chan and arigatou for stopping me." Naruto said as he turned his head slightly in her direction. He then turned back to what he was doing. "Now please go, there's something I need to do and I'd rather you not see it." He hissed slightly after saying that and grasped his right shoulder even tighter.

"No, you're not fine, even I can tell that. What happened to your shoulder Naruto-kun?" She walked even closer to him as she held out a hand, trying to comfort him.

"I told you it's nothing. Just let me tend to it and I'll be fine." Naruto called back as he reached for an empty vial and a funnel.

She sighed slightly and then hardened her face. "Naruto-kun, do I have to beat it out of you?" She hissed into his ear as she grabbed his left shoulder.

Naruto started sweating slightly, she'd been like this once before when she found him in a middle of a prank. She seemed much scarier now though. "Uh, no, Ten-chan. It's just some poison. I was just going to bleed it out and store it in a vial so I could take a look at it later. That's all!" He made a shooing gesture with his free hand as he smiled nervously at her. He was trying to get rid of her so he could extract the enzyme.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're lying. It's something more serious... and why are your eyes red?"

_'Kuso!' _He squeaked in his mind when he flinched slightly at her proclamation.

_**'I said you were not a very good liar, did I not, Kit?' **_Kyuubi managed to chuckle out as he tried to keep the enzyme in place.

_'Not now, Kyu-sensei!' _Naruto pleaded back to the kitsune. "Okay so it is a little more serious than that. But that's what the red eyes are about!" He retorted quickly when he saw he was about to be berated. "They're a sign of a jutsu I know, it keeps the poison from spreading. I may have lied about it being nothing but once I bleed this stuff out I will be fine. I didn't lie about that."

Ten-ten seemed to ponder it for a second as she stared into his eyes with a slight frown. "You're still hiding something." He flinched slightly at that. He instantly relaxed though, when she let out a sigh. "But, it isn't anything to do with the poison. Come on, I'll help you bleed this stuff out." She said as she took out a kunai.

_'Damn, girls are scary when they're trying to be caring and how the hell does she do that!' _He thought as he went back to gathering the necessary materials, gauze and bandages. "Okay, the poisons just in my right shoulder. There's even a black spot where it is, so it should be easy to know where to cut. I'll hold the vial and funnel in place if you can make sure it all gets out." She nodded quickly before she went around to his right side and pulled the vest to one side so she could see the black spot he'd told her about.

"Whoa!" She gasped in surprise when she uncovered the black blob. It was still moving and changing shape and since Kyuubi had gathered all the enzyme to that spot it bulged slightly like a large zit. "What in the name of Kami!? What kind of poison is this!?" She asked fearing for Naruto's life.

"Not sure. That's why I want to collect as much as I can to check it out later." Naruto piped in over his shoulder to her. He bent forward slightly and held the vial with a funnel already in place underneath his shoulder. "Okay, I'm ready. Cut it open!"

Ten-ten hesitated slightly as she brought the kunai to Naruto's skin. She took one quick calming breath before placing the tip on one edge of the poison zit and cutting across it quickly. Naruto did his best not to flinch at the swift cut.

It didn't spurt out as she thought it would. Instead, the black liquid oozed out slowly like oil and dribbled into the funnel and then the vial. It was agonizingly slow to watch but it was almost over after less than a minute. The final surprise came when the final few droplets of the poison seemed to be pushed out by some red energy. _'Must be part of the jutsu.' _She thought dismissively.

"That's the last of it!" Naruto cried triumphantly as he sat up straight and sealed the vial. His eyes instantly retook their usual blue colour. He looked quickly to his shoulder when he felt someone place gauze over it and start wrapping it in bandages. He was instantly met with the soft gaze of Ten-ten. He smiled a small smile. "Thanks, Ten-chan." As soon as she finished the bandaging he pulled the vest over the wrappings. "Please, don't tell Sakura or Sasuke about this okay? I don't want them to worry."

She frowned for a second and was about to say that was a bad idea. Her face softened when she saw the look of determination on his face. She sighed. "Fine, I won't tell them. But, you owe me for this." She replied quietly.

Naruto's smile grew wider. "Arigatou, Ten-chan. I don't know how I could repay you for this." He said before going back to the medical supplies and placing them in a neat pile on and near the scroll.

He didn't notice the slight glint that came to her eye and the light blush that came with it when he said that last part. She leaned forward slightly and started pressing her breasts on his back. _'I can think of something.'_

Naruto stopped moving the medical supplies as soon as Ten-ten's breasts touched his back. "Uh, Ten-chan? What are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"Nothing, I just thought of how you could repay me for keeping this from Sasuke and Sakura." She whispered into his ear as she leaned forward even more and reached around with her right hand to cup his face. She pulled his face gently so that he faced her, his face was as pink as hers. She rubbed the whisker marks on his face lightly with her thumb and savored the feeling, while he blushed even more. She started leaning in to kiss him... closer... closer to his lips...

"Senpai! Are you okay?" Sakura called from the entrance way. She peered in to see Ten-ten sitting rigidly a good foot away from Naruto with a slight blush on her face. Naruto meanwhile was hunched over the gathered medical supplies. They disappeared in a puff of smoke into the scroll.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan. Ten-chan checked my wounds." Naruto shouted over his shoulder to her. What she didn't see was the red that covered his face.

"Oh, good, I'm glad you're okay. When you're done, me and Sasuke will be waiting out here." She called in as she turned to walk away. She suddenly stopped turning. "And senpai, you... forgot to use -chan with my name earlier that means you have to pay a forfeit!" Sakura cheered happily into the entrance.

"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted in surprise as he spun around. "Oh, come on Sakura-chan! We were in the middle of a fight!" Naruto pleaded with his teammate.

"Doesn't matter." Sakura replied with a shake of her head. "You still forgot."

"But, but, but... Ugh, fine." Naruto finally caved. "I'll be out in a second." He called to her. She finally turned and walked away. He sighed lightly as he stored the supplies scroll and stood. "Ten-chan, thanks for the help, really." He went to her, knelt down so that his face was level with hers. She blushed lightly as Naruto's hands cupped her face. His head lent forward slightly it seemed like he was going to kiss her. Until his head came up at the last moment and he planted a small kiss on her forehead. "Thanks again, Ten-chan."

He stood back up and walked back out of the hollow, wondering wether he'd done the right thing or not. Ten-ten on the other hand stayed in her sitting position on the ground the light blush still gracing her face. _'He kissed me! He kissed me on the forehead!' _She quickly broke into a gleeful smile. _'May not have been a full on kiss, but it's a start!'_

"Ten-ten, come on, we're going to trade scrolls and then we're leaving for the tower." Neji called in to her when he appeared in the entrance way.

"Oh! Coming Neji." She called back as she got up and left the hollow.

* * *

"You felt that, didn't you Kisame?" A man covered in a black cloak decorated with red clouds, a bamboo hat with tassels covering his face, asked another sitting near him. The second man known as Kisame was larger and carried some kind of package on his back. He wore the exact same uniform as the first man.

"Yeah, yeah. I felt it. Does this mean we're finally gonna do something about him?" Kisame asked his companion in a voice that seemed to gurgle through the words.

"Yes, we'll be paying a visit to the Kyuubi jinchuuriki very soon." He replied as he stood and readied himself to travel.

"This means we're going to Konoha right? Hey, maybe we'll see your otōto while we're there. It'll be fun to see what he tries to do to you." Kisame said as he too got up to travel.

"It would be good to see how much he has grown." The man said as he started walking. "Just try to keep a low profile this time Kisame." He said as he turned back to Kisame, staring intently into the larger man's eyes with a blazing red sharingan.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Itachi. Let's just get going." Kisame replied as he walked right past the Uchiha.

* * *

Another man, this time in a dark room somewhere in Konoha, rose his head as two subordinates appeared before him. "He has delved into the Kyuubi's power twice with only a small interval. There is no other explanation, he is gaining control of the Kyuubi's power much faster than anticipated. I want both of you to watch him. Report back if you find out anything strange."

The two subordinates, clad in dark clothing, a faceless white mask and carrying a small blade, nodded once simultaneously. "Hai, Danzou-sama" They both chorused and disappeared.

_'I must be sure that child is allied to this village and none other. If he were to turn against us it would be disastrous.' _Danzou thought as he scratched the scar on his chin.

* * *

"Did we really need to take their extra heaven scroll when we gave them our extra earth one. They did save us after all." Sakura asked Naruto and Sasuke as they headed to the tower.

"Hey, they insisted. After all, someone has to keep this scroll from the other teams. They probably just didn't want that much responsibility. You heard them after all, they're heading straight for the tower just like us. Plus, Lee seemed happy enough to have held you in his arms and to have you thank him after it." Naruto replied with a grin and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Uh, yeah." Sakura mumbled with a weird look in her eye.

"Knowing you, you're gonna give it to another team from Knoha if we come across any that need it." Sasuke piped up.

"Guess I can't hide anything from you huh, Teme?" Naruto shot back with the same grin.

"Hn, shut up. Let's just get to the tower as soon as possible. I don't wanna run into anymore trouble and if we hurry we could get there by the end of today. Think about it, we finish with three days to spare that means we have three full days to rest if there's gonna be anymore tests after this one." Sasuke shouted back over his shoulder.

"That is a pretty good point." Sakura piped in.

"Yeah, it is" Naruto mumbled as he looked back at Sakura. _'She still hasn't told us exactly what happened when we were out. She hasn't brought up that dead Oto nin. I know you killed him Sakura, those were your senbon and the strike points were a little too random to be Ten-chan's work. I guess I'll confront you about it at the tower.' _He thought right before his nose twitched. "Stop guys!"

"What is it now, Dobe?" Sasuke shouted as he stopped on a branch before jumping further. Sakura stopping on a branch a little behind Naruto.

Naruto sniffed the air a couple more times before finally looking to his left and toward the ground. "There's someone we know down there and it smells like they're fighting someone."

"Can you tell if they're winning at all?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, you do know I can just smell them not hear or see them right?" Naruto asked while scratching his cheek.

"Uh, right." Sakura replied sheepishly.

"Leave it, we have to get to the tower." Sasuke ordered in a bored tone.

"Would you want someone to say the same if it was us in a fight?" Naruto asked seriously as he got up from his crouch. "Come on, Teme. It's not far, it'll cost us ten minutes, tops." Naruto argued.

"Come on Sasuke-kun. The other teams would do the same for us." Sakura begged as she thought of Team Gai.

"Hm? Okay, fine. But we only help out if they need it." Sasuke added as he caved.

"Heheh, Sakura-chan's got you wrapped around her little fi-MMPH!" Naruto was quickly cut off by a piece of bark that was flung into his mouth. He quickly spat it out and started gagging.

"Shut up, Dobe. Let's just go and get this over with." Sasuke ordered as he wiped his hands of any pieces of bark.

* * *

Team 7 eventually found themselves in an area covered in tree roots. Jumping from one root to another was Kabuto. He seemed to be avoiding bursts of water that were coming from underneath the roots. "Hey, Sasuke." Naruto whispered to get the Uchiha's attention as he arrived next to him. "Try your sharingan on this area. I think there's something we're not seeing here. I can smell more people than I see."

Sasuke nodded, he took a quick breath and dipped into his chakra to activate his sharingan. That's when he felt it, a short stabbing pain in his shoulder, where the curse mark was. The instant he tried using his chakra it started. At the moment, it wasn't very painful so he just pushed past it. _'Sharingan!' _His vision instantly got clearer and he started seeing the chakra used in the water bursts. He also saw something else, hiding all around the roots were ninja. They were all using some genjutsu to hide their presence.

All the while Naruto was watching Sasuke as he worked. _'Sakura isn't the only one with a problem now. I remember those markings when we attacked the Oto nin guy. I may not have had my Kaiseki Boushi activated at the time but the feeling of the chakra is the same as when I saw the seal on Anko. I just need to confirm it.' _Naruto edged a little closer to Sasuke. He quickly looked over Sasuke's high collar to check his left shoulder. It was a fifty-fifty chance that if Sasuke had the seal it would be on this shoulder. If not then it would be on the other side. But that would only be if Sasuke had the curse seal. Naruto had to keep his breathing in check when he found what he was looking for. He backed down. Right where he was afraid it would be, the three tomoe design. Exactly the same as Anko's. He'd already checked the right shoulder before they even started for the tower and found nothing. Before this he'd actually hoped that Orochimaru hadn't inflicted the curse seal on Sasuke. Even when he saw Sasuke awake with all the strange markings on his face, he'd hoped it was some kind of jutsu he'd never seen.

Sasuke grit his teeth slightly as the pain became greater. "Naruto, there are three ninja hiding in the roots, using some kind of genjutsu." Sasuke managed get out.

"Guess we better help him then." Naruto said as he looked back to Kabuto.

"Wait, Kabuto's up to something too." Sasuke quickly added as he saw Kabuto doing something with his chakra.

"What? What's happening? Sakura asked as she too, got closer to them.

"I'm not sure what exactly he's doing, but he's expelling a lot of chakra for some reason." Sasuke spat through grit teeth again.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, noticing the change in Sasuke's tone and the increase in perspiration.

"I'm fine, Dobe." Sasuke spat back as a hand involuntarily went to his shoulder.

"No, you're not. Come on, lets go. It looks like Kabuto's got a plan up his sleeve, so he'll probably be fine. I'd rather talk to you about this somewhere safer like the tower anyway." Naruto dismissed as he turned to leave the area.

"No, Dobe. I told you I'm fine." Sasuke spat again. He fed more chakra to his sharingan so he could try and see what Kabuto was doing. In doing so, the pain in his shoulder grew. It grew to such a level that he could no longer move but he also figured out what Kabuto was doing. "No, Naruto, Sakura. We have to get out of here." They both nodded as they readied to move but didn't go any further when Sasuke didn't do the same.

"What's up, Teme? Why aren't you moving!?" Naruto almost shouted as he looked back at Sasuke and grabbed his arm.

"I... can't... move!" Sasuke hissed.

"I knew it! Come on!" Naruto hissed back. He tightened his grip on Sasuke's arm and flung it over his shoulder. "Let's go Sakura-chan!" Naruto leapt away, hauling Sasuke along with him. Sakura leapt away immediately aftreward, keeping pace after them. "What was Kabuto doing then?" Naruto asked as he leapt to another branch.

"You'll hear it in a few seconds." Sasuke replied through grit teeth.

And hear it they did. After no more than five minutes of traveling they heard a large explosion followed by several cracking noises as trees fell. "Whoa! Kabuto really had something big up his sleeve!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked back the way they had come.

"No... that was just... to cover up... any evidence." Sasuke gasped out. He'd finally regained movement and the pain had stopped but it had still taken it's toll.

Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion. "What do you mean, Teme?"

"His... hands... he was doing something... with chakra in his hands." Sasuke gasped out again.

_'Hm, so he was up to something.' _Naruto thought. "Doesn't matter Sasuke. Forget about it for now. Come on, we're really heading for the tower this time, no more stops."

* * *

Little Omake;

"Uh... Sakura-chan, where's my other knife?" Naruto asked when he emerged from the hollow. His hand behind his back feeling for the two kinves he usually kept there only to find one missing.

"Huh? Oh! Uh... I was holding it but, I must have dropped it when that Oto nin knocked me out!" Sakura replied, smacking her fist into her palm.

Sasuke and Naruto started leaking out chakra again as they were reminded of what had happened. "He's gonna pay!" They both growled out as their fists tightened.

"I'll break his legs!" Sasuke growled.

"I'll finish what I started with his arm!" Naruto growled.

"Neither of you are going to do anything!" Sakura shouted as she smacked both of them over the head. "He's gone, that's already over and done with, now we need to look for Naruto's knife!" She screamed as the two cowered away from her nursing the pumbs on their heads. Both had a single tear drop in the corners of their eyes.

A few feet away behind them Neji and Lee were watching. "Do you think I should break it up and return the knife?" Lee asked in a whisper to Neji as he held up the missing knife. Apparently he'd picked it up after kicking the Oto nin.

"Better your life than mine, Lee. One thing I've learned is, never get in front of an angry female. I made that mistake with Ten-ten once." Neji muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck where his blind spot originated.


	23. New Seal? New Trouble!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 23 – New Seal? New Trouble

* * *

**Last time:**

"His... hands... he was doing something... with chakra in his hands." Sasuke gasped out again.

_'Hm, so he was up to something.' _Naruto thought. "Doesn't matter Sasuke. Forget about it for now. Come on We're really heading for the tower this time, no more stops."

* * *

**This Chapter:**

"Are you sure that's the only way we could get rid of the enzyme? It's just that it sounds a little much." Naruto asked as he looked over some scrolls he had scattered over his desk. He and Kyuubi were back in the vault under the hidden compound in the forest.

"**I am certain that, that is the only way we could do it. These enzymes that Orochimaru created." **Kyuubi pushed himself off the wall were he'd been leaning. He went to pick up the vial that contained the enzyme that had been pushed from Naruto's body. **"These enzymes are different to the ones in a normal human body. They have been reinforced with chakra in a way that makes them invulnerable to high temperatures. This means that I can not just seek them out and use my natural affinity to fire to burn them. The temperatures required to destroy it are too high for me to safely control in the human body."**

"What about an inhibitor? I remember reading about inhibitors for enzymes, couldn't we make one for this enzyme?" Naruto asked hopefully, looking away from the scrolls and up at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi brought the vial up to his eye, he stared intently at the black liquid. **"Hmmm. I'm afraid not, Kit. First, we have no idea how to begin to create an inhibitor. Second, I believe only someone of Senju Tsunade's level could create something powerful enough to inhibit this enzyme. As you know, things created from chakra can best be destroyed or overpowered from another creation of chakra." **He finished, finally placing the vial back on the desk.

"Tsunade-sama?" Naruto echoed as Kyuubi went back to leaning against the wall. He went back to studying the scrolls, his Kaiseki Boushi rotating clockwise slightly as he looked over a certain seal. "It would be helpful if she were here but there was no information about her whereabouts in dad's files. I suppose we have no other choice. Then again, it's risky which means it'll probably work for us!" Naruto announced with a chuckle.

"**Inserting my chakra into another humans body is no laughing matter, Kit. You are mostly fine when my chakra enters your system but that is because it has been seeping into your system to heal you. Your body has adapted for it. Normal ninjas have next to no experience with a demons chakra. Their bodies have not adapted to deal with it." **Kyuubi held out his hand as his chakra seeped out and formed a red aura around it. **"I could kill a human merely by placing my hand on them and forcing my chakra into them." **His chakra flared for a moment, lashing out and whipping violently.

"Can't the Hyuuga do that too though?" Naruto asked as he again looked up from his scrolls. "I've read about their techniques, they can kill with a touch as well."

"**Any demon could do this, our chakra is so potent only a slight amount is needed to kill. The Hyuuga have trained for generations to replicate this effect. Even now, their techniques are still not as powerful as our chakra." **Kyuubi curled his hand into a fist as the chakra dissipated. **"This is because they are only using your human chakra. In their techniques they use much more chakra than we do. They also mold their chakra in a certain method for their techniques. Much like you mold chakra using the hand-seals for different jutsu."**

"Uh-huh..." Was Naruto's only reply before he went back to his scrolls. "Anyway, are you sure you could collect it all with just your chakra? You did it in my body but that was only possible 'cause your chakra's already inside my body."

"**I can get all the enzyme but definitely not all at once. That would require too much of my chakra and could kill the ninja. I estimate around eight sessions would be enough to collect all the enzyme. There is another problem though, the ninja would have to rest for a minimum of a month or two between each session. It would be required to be sure the chakra does not damage their coils or their organs." **Kyuubi replied with a shrug.

"Okay, so, we have a way to get rid of the enzyme. Now, to make a seal to counteract the cursed seal until we can remove it." Naruto announced, he had procured an ink well and brush from somewhere and was furiously drawing symbols on a large piece of canvas.

"**Why must you create your own seal, why not just copy one of these?" **Kyuubi asked as he gestured to all the scrolls.** "All of these you have picked are strong enough."**

Naruto stopped for a second. "That's because all of these seals take a lot of chakra and strength from the person they're placed on. If I were to use any one of these seals, Sasuke wouldn't be able to fight for at least four days. There's less than three days now, before this test finishes. If there's another test straight after the end of this one, then Sasuke won't stand a chance."

"**I see, then you wish to create one that will rely on your chakra and strength so that he may continue. Why? He has never helped you. In fact, he has openly despised you and even tried to seriously hurt you once. Why should you help him?" **Kyuubi asked in a sagely tone.

"No, the seal won't rely completely on my strength and chakra. Some of it has to come from Sasuke. It has to so that the seal knows what to stop. All I want to do is make it easier on him." Naruto paused for a second. He looked over to Kyuubi and stared him directly in the eye. "Why am I making it easier for him? That's because... he's my teammate. He's someone I have to rely on and I'm someone he has to rely on. But most importantly, I think of him as the one who understands me most, like a... friend." He quickly returned to the creation of the seal.

Kyuubi smiled at the answer. **"I see. That's a good answer." **Kyuubi pushed himself off the wall again. He starts walking for the exit before he shouts over his shoulder. **"Just be quick. You have about two hours left before that transport seal you made disappears, remember. If you don't watch the time, you may end up going through the forest of death again." **With that he left.

_**'I suppose I should have expected this Kit. You have me, you have Iruka-sensei and you have your Ojii-san. You even have Teuchi and Ayame from that ramen stand. Even though you have these people, you still seek someone of your own age to associate and bond with. The fan-girls would be good but then most of them don't know about ninja life. I suppose it is your natural human instinct. After all, underneath all the training and conditioning, behind all the jutsu and chakra, you are still a child.' **_ Kyuubi thought as he walked down one of the many corridors leading to the kitchen. **_'Now, where did I put those pocky?'_**

**

* * *

  
**

"Sasuke-kun! Please, lie down!" Sakura argued as she pushed Sasuke's shoulders gently. Trying to get him to stay in the room their team had been assigned.

"I'm fine, Sakura!" Sasuke grunted. He tried to shove past her, only to grab his shoulder and hiss in pain. His hand had hardly left his shoulder since they reached the tower. "I'm just going for walk." He grunted again.

"No, you're not. You still have a fever! And don't tell me that your shoulder doesn't hurt!" She suddenly screamed before pushing him not so gently in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps before finally tripping on a futon. He fell on his ass with a quiet 'oomph' and a thud from the floor.

"Sakura, I..." His argument died on his lips when he saw the look on Sakura's face.

"Onegai, Sasuke-kun. Onegai, let me take care of you." Now Sasuke was faced with Sakura, the caring medic.

_**'If you don't let me, I may have to use anesthetic!' **_Her inner persona jeered as she hefted a mallet labeled, 'anesthetic'. Well, she was mostly caring.

Sasuke turned away for a moment. He narrowed his eyes and huffed lightly before turning back to face her. "Fine, but only until the Dobe gets back." Sakura did nothing more than nod in response. Sasuke lay down slowly. He just as slowly uncovered his shoulder as well and lay his right hand to rest over his abdomen.

"Just relax." Was all she said before she placed one hand on Sasuke's forehead and the other just over his left shoulder.

Sasuke felt the effects immediately. He felt a cooling sensation rush through his head, while the pain in his shoulder dulled slightly. He just about caught his gasp before smirking toward the ceiling. "When did you prepare them?" He asked coolly.

Sakura knew instantly he was talking about the jutsu "When you looked away. Usually when you do that it means you're thinking it over. And so far you've always gone with the choice that was best for the team or yourself. I had a feeling you'd let me treat you. Plus, Senpai always said it's good to prepare the jutsu when you get the chance."

"More medical jutsu from the great Naruto-senpai, huh?" He asked mockingly, spitefully.

Sakura's face fell for a moment at hearing the question so full of distaste. She opened her eyes to look at Sasuke, since she'd started her eyes had been closed to help her concentrate. "Yeah, these were in one of the first scrolls he gave me. They were the easiest things to learn, apart from the diagnostic jutsu since Naruto helped me with it."

Sasuke was about to smirk some more when he realized _exactly_ what she had said. _Naruto _had _helped_ her with the _diagnostic _jutsu. "You mean, he didn't actually teach you any of the other medical jutsu?"

She shook her head. "No, he just gave me scrolls for those." She saw the questioning look on his face and decided to continue. "I asked him once, why he wouldn't teach them to me."

* * *

_**Flashback Start**_

"Why don't I teach them to you?" Naruto repeated the question dumbly. He was looking at Sakura who held a green and red scroll in her hands. They were both standing in the training grounds they used apart from Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Yeah, you helped me with the first one, the diagnostic jutsu. But since then all you've given me are scrolls on medical jutsu. You haven't once given me an example of how they work before telling me to learn them." Sakura asked him in a near whine.

"Oh, right, well, the simple fact is... I can't!" He answered with a grin as he placed his hands behind his head.

Sakura just looked at him with a blank expression for a second. Right before exploding. "What do you mean you can't! Is it can't or won't?"

"Woah! Easy!" He answered as he held his hands out in front of him. "It's can't, actually. I just can't use those jutsu. When you're using medical jutsu, you're using your chakra to affect another persons body. And in some cases their chakra pathways. If you're gonna be doing stuff like that, you have to be precise with your chakra. Otherwise you could end up doing more harm than good."

"I know that. It was in the first scroll you gave me." Sakura answered back.

"Yeah, and when they say _precise_ chakra control they mean _precise _chakra control. It has to be so close to perfect it may as well _be_ perfect. You have that sort of control." He paused for a moment and pointed at the scroll in her hands with a slight sour look. "I tried to do the other medical jutsu in those scrolls. I always failed. My control isn't as fine as yours. I'm more reckless with my chakra." He huffed and hung his head for a second only to look right back up with a grin at Sakura. "Besides, I figured you really didn't need me as long as you had the scrolls to learn from. You're definitely smart enough."

"Senpai..." She blushed slightly and looked down at the scroll he had given her. She then looked back at him. "I'll do my best!" She announced, all the while pumping the scroll in the air.

"Good!" A brief silence passed between the two. "So, was my speech about needing _precise_ chakra control good? I tried to memorize that from the first scroll as much as possible. I thought I sounded like I knew what I was talking about if I do say so myself!" He exclaimed happily, both hands going behind his head again.

Sakura, in response, merely looked at him blankly, again.

_**Flashback End**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

Sasuke said nothing for a few seconds. "Did he really say that stuff at the end about-" He cut himself off as Sakura nodded with a downcast look. "And you allow him to train you?"

"He's not all bad. He is fairly smart when it comes to things about tactics and fighting. He's kind of... cunning." She smiled slightly. "He really likes to learn ninjutsu and play around with them, finding new ways of using them. And he tries. I've seen him studying scrolls sometimes. Scrolls about the laws of Konoha and it's history." She took her hands away from his shoulder and forehead and took out a water canteen along with a cloth from her pouch.

Sasuke sneered. "What's the point? We've left the academy. We don't need to know that stuff for tests." Sakura wet the cloth and placed it gently on his forehead before answering.

"I asked him the same thing, you know what his answer was? 'A Hokage needs to know everything about his village including it's past, present and possible futures.'" She stared off into space for a moment before slumping her shoulders. "Then he asked me if that sounded good too and that he'd memorized it from another scroll." Both their faces went blank at that. "But, like I said, he's a fighter." She finished with a shrug.

"He's such a Dobe." Sasuke muttered, turning his gaze away from her again. His eyes slowly went back to look at her after a moment of thinking. "What about... your training? How many of those scrolls have you gone through?" He asked hesitantly.

Sakura brightened up again at having him asking about her. "Well, right now, I'm on my fifth scroll. I'm still learning about the basics really. But you need to know the basics before you can do the really hard stuff. It's pretty interesting. The ways of closing different wounds with chakra. Then there's ways of staving off infections using nothing but chakra if you can't close the wound. I've learn't a lot of new ways of controlling chakra." She spoke quickly and cheerily.

"Don't act so happy. I just wanted to know what kind of chances I stood of surviving if I was hurt in battle and you were around." Her face fell as did her mood. His words hurt but she knew she shouldn't have hoped for more. Not yet. "It sounds like I'd have at least a half decent chance at least." He muttered quickly. Her face lit up. Maybe she could hope for more.

"He's trained me a lot in evasion and dodging too. As well as taijutsu. He didn't really teach me too many ninjutsu though." She said sheepishly. "I guess he thought I was better off at being a med-nin and knowing mostly medical jutsu."

"Everyone has their speciality." Sasuke muttered quietly.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "What about you?" She asked quickly.

"If you're talking about being trained by Kakashi-sensei. It's a little less exciting than your training." He finished quickly, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling.

"Come on, training is training. I just gave you the highlights of my training. I haven't told you about all the boring and monotonous stuff Naruto had me do. Just tell me about the stuff that was best in your opinion." Sakura nudged, hoping to get a proper conversation going.

His eyes went down for a moment. "Well, he did help me with some of my Katons. He also helped me with my sharingan. Other than that, it's been nothing but tree walking and other exercises." He finished without looking back up.

"That sounds pretty good! I'm betting that's how you did the big, fire dragon thing in the forest, right?" Sakura asked happily.

"You saw that? When I used it against the Kusa nin?" Sasuke asked in surprise.

"Well, I was kind of groggy at the time but, yeah, I saw some of it." She replied sheepishly. Then her face went downcast again. "Too bad it didn't work against her."

Sasuke glared hotly at the ceiling. "We didn't have a chance against her! She knew it and she played with us!" Sasuke spat angrily, baning his fist on the floor. He flinched and suddenly reached up toward his shoulder again. The pain flaring up.

"Calm down. It's over, she's gone now. There's nothing else we can do." She said quickly, placing her hand on his shoulder again. Once again, the pain dulled.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind another shot at her." He spat again. He tightened his grip on his shoulder. "Where is Naruto with his stupid seal!"

Just then the door opened. "I'm right here Teme. I'm gonna need a second to set it up. Sakura could you leave the room please?" Naruto asked all the while staring at the floor with a frown on his face. Underneath one arm he carried what appeared to be a wooden box. Sakura looked at him worriedly for a moment before nodding and leaving.

"What's with the face, Dobe? Something wrong with the seal?" Sasuke asked the blonde as he sat up.

Naruto didn't respond at first but then all of a sudden he shook his head and looked at the Uchiha with a grin. "Nah! Just thinking about something else. The seal's ready to go! Just need to print it, ink it and then compress it all, over that cursed seal on your neck!" He announced cheerfully. "Come on! Help me move these futons."

**

* * *

  
**

All manner of symbols and runes had been inked into the walls and floors. From a distance they seemed to make a triangle, with a line extending from each corner and from the middle of each side. Right in the middle of the triangle was Sasuke, shirtless, facing one of the corners. Three of the lines of symbols ran up his body and ended on each of the tomoe that made up the curse seal.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sasuke asked in a low tone.

"Pretty sure... I think." Naruto replied in a distant tone of voice. All the while drawing something on his right forearm.

"Should have known not to expect much from you." Sasuke sneered.

Naruto's head snapped up and glared at Sasuke. "Watch what you say, Teme! I could always give up and get Kakashi-sensei to do this you know."

"That actually sounds a whole lot safer and smarter, Dobe. It may even be the first smart thing I've heard you say." Sasuke sneered again.

"YEAH RIGHT! I've said tons of smart things!" Naruto shouted, pointing a thumb at himself.

"Really? Guess I must have been ignoring you so I wouldn't have to hear the stupid things." Sasuke jibed, a smirk appearing on his face.

"You want me to seal this thing or not! 'Cuz if you keep that up I'll seal your mouth instead." Naruto threatened pointing at Sasuke's mouth with his brush.

"Get on with it then." Sasuke ordered. "It's getting cold in here without a shirt on."

"Baby." Naruto muttered as he stood up.

"What'd you say!?" Sasuke asked with a hint of venom as Naruto made his way over.

"Nothing. Just sign your name between these lines and then I can complete this thing." Naruto answered, pointing to a spot on his arm. He quickly handed over the brush and held his arm out.

"What's this for?" Sasuke asked in tone with no sense of curiosity.

"It's so I can use some of my chakra and strength in the sealing. That way, you won't be comatose for about a week. This way you'll be out for a day, maybe more." Naruto replied with a cheery voice.

"What do you mean 'comatose for a week'?" Sasuke asked suddenly, stopping his writing.

"Well, all the other sealing methods I could find used the strength and chakra of the one having the seal put on them. That would leave them severely fatigued and most of the time comatose. This one I'm using on you relies more on the caster than the target. I had to be quick making it but it should be alright." Naruto replied quickly.

"You mean to tell me this is a completely new seal that you've never tested?" Sasuke asked flatly.

"That's pretty much it, yeah. I've checked all the symbols over twice, it should be alright." Naruto replied with a grin.

"It's not just something you've memorized from a book, is it?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes this time.

"Huh? What do you mean by that!? Are you tryin' to say I don't understand seals!?" Naruto snapped with his free hand balled into a fist and shaking.

_'No, I just heard about what you said to Sakura... twice.' _Sasuke thought before letting out a breath he'd been holding. "Nevermind. So what'll happen to you?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the area he was signing.

"Ummm, I'll probably pass out like you... I think." Naruto answered as he looked toward the ceiling as if it held the answer. A finger from his free hand tapping his chin. _'Actually, I'll probably be fine since I have you Kyu-sensei.'_

_**'Yes, you will be fine, since I'll be supplying you with strength and chakra. But after wards you should still sleep. It's better for you to rely on your own strength.' **_Kyuubi replied with a sigh.

_'Fine. Anyway...' _Naruto thought going back to his current conversation with Sasuke. "Hurry up and sign your name will ya!" Naruto yelled, swiping at Sasuke's head.

"Fine, jeez." Sasuke muttered after dodging the swipe. He finished signing his name.

"Finally!" Naruto grabbed the brush from Sasuke's hand and carelessly threw it into the wooden box. He then quickly made his way to the door of the room.

"Where are you going now, Dobe?" Sasuke asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm just gonna tell Sakura-chan when it'll be okay to come back in here. Oh, and don't move." With that Naruto stepped out into the corridor. Sasuke couldn't hear exactly what was being said but he did hear enough to know one thing. Sakura would be taking care of both of them while they were asleep.

After a few more seconds Naruto came back in and went straight to standing behind Sasuke. It was after the fourth hand-seal Naruto had done that Sasuke spoke. "How did you know she was still out there?"

Naruto's left eyebrow rose and he paused on the fifth hand-seal on hearing the question. "What do you mean? Of course she would be there." Naruto continued with the hand-seals before he would lose his focus completely. "One of her teammates, you, has been marked by an enemy. An enemy you were fighting to try and keep your teammates safe." Sasuke looked to the side at that comment. "Now the other teammate, me, is trying to help the first by sealing that mark. Sealing the mark means you won't have any problems that might cost you your life." Naruto stopped his hand-seals and placed his right hand over the curse seal. Sasuke's signature and the symbols around it started glowing on Naruto's arm. "Plus, all I did was ask her to leave the room. I never told her to leave completely, of course she'd stay close where she could help if she was needed. Now, are you ready? 'Cause this may sting." Naruto finished as the seal on the floor started glowing brightly.

"Wh-!?" Sasuke started.

"Too late now." Naruto's hand clamped over the cursed seal. "SANKAKU FUUJA HOUIN! (Triangular Evil Sealing Method)" Naruto bellowed. The seal on the floor and his arm started glowing even brighter. Until eventually they snapped back to being inky black. As soon as they did though, the symbols started moving off the floor and walls. They started slithering up Sasuke's body and stopped just short of the three tomoe of the cursed seal.

Sasuke froze as a sharp pain kept pulsing from the curse seal. He could even feel the symbols as they slithered onto his body. They felt like ice cubes running over his skin. It was a level of pain he could only equal to receiving the curse seal. His muscles had tensed automatically, he was practically a statue. He would have started gritting his teeth as he felt the drain of his chakra straining his body and causing more pain. All of a sudden that pain was gone though and only the cold of the symbols and the sharp stab of the curse seal remained. He turned his head slightly, forcefully untensing the muscle in his neck to do so.

His eyes widened slightly. Naruto was on his knees behind him. He could see the muscles in Naruto's right arm just as tensed up as his whole body was. Naruto's left hand was currently holding the right arm and hand in place over the cursed seal. He could see Naruto's chakra flaring around him as it was being fed into the creation of the seal. That was all to be expected, what made Sasuke's eyes widen was the red chakra that was starting to replace the blue. It was slowly seeping into the chakra that surrounded Naruto. That was merely the beginning, as more appeared he could feel waves of malice and rage come from Naruto. It was like the encounter with sound ninja all over again but this time the feelings weren't as strong. It was as if they'd been watered down.

It wasn't long before Naruto was completely engulfed in the red chakra. That was when things got very interesting for Sasuke. Ever since he'd feel the drain stop on his chakra he hadn't felt it replenish at all. That meant some chakra was still being taken. When that red chakra took over though, his chakra didn't start replenishing, it was restored instantly with interest. He felt his sharingan activate without him sending the chakra to them. Not only that but he felt stronger. It was like the curse seal's effects except... he felt twice as strong... and just as blood thirsty. He felt like ripping something to shreds. He wanted to demolish the building they were in just for the fun of it. He wanted destruction, blood and fire! From the malice and rage rolling off Naruto now, he knew the blonde wanted it too.

"NOT YET! BACK OFF FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE!" Naruto suddenly shouted from behind him.

Once again he felt his chakra drain and then stop at the same level as before. The desire for blood and destruction left him, along with the strength he felt. He looked back at Naruto to see the blonde's blue chakra was coming back. It was just flickering on the edges of the red chakra but it was there. _'What was that! It definitely came from Naruto. But how did his chakra get in my system!' _Sasuke thought feverishly.

_'That was bad! The seals almost done but you gave me your chakra too early Kyu-sensei! There's no telling where all that extra chakra from your youki went to! That could have compromised the seal I'm putting on Sasuke!' _Naruto ranted mentally.

_**'Forgive me Kit. I felt you reaching your limit and had to intervene.' **_Kyuubi replied calmly.

_'Fair enough.' _Naruto huffed. He closed one eyelid as the last of the symbols snaked up Sasuke's body and the glowing under his hand dulled. His arm muscles finally relaxed and his arm drooped away from Sasuke's shoulder. It revealed a triangle surrounding the curse seal, three lines of symbols crossing the three sides almost meeting in the middle, separating the three tomoe. On each corner, another line of symbols stretched out.

"There ya go Teme. That should keep the curse seal from affecting you." Naruto huffed out between breaths. Sasuke just stared back, breathing just as heavily. "Just don't try and access the curse seal powers. 'Cause all that'll do is drain your chakra. I can tell if you try and access it thanks to this." Naruto explained breathlessly as he pointed to the seal with Sasuke's signature. Sasuke didn't say a word as his breathing slowed. "Any questions?" Naruto finished, lowering his arms. Sasuke promptly dropped sideways and fell into unconsciousness. "Good..." Naruto sighed right before he too dropped in the opposite direction and fell into unconsciousness.

The door swung open soundlessly after a couple of seconds. "Sasuke-kun?... Senpai?" Sakura's voice flooded through the room. Overpowering the near silent breathing of her two teammates. She looked down at the two. She sighed. "Just like Senpai said, ten seconds. I suppose I'll have to take care of you two again. At least this time, we're a little safer." She mused as she set about making them comfortable.

**

* * *

  
**

"Team 7?" A voice called through the door of team 7's room. It's proceeded with several knocks. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke! Are you in there?"

The door is pulled open from the inside. "Yo! Please be quiet Iruka-san. My team are currently resting and I would like it if they got plenty of rest." Kakashi informed the chunin from behind his orange Icha Icha book.

"Ah, forgive me Kakashi-sensei." Iruka answered, bowing at the jounin sensei. Once he stood back up he looked over the three genin. Naruto and Sasuke tucked up neatly on a pair of futons. Sakura dozing near by with a blanket thrown over her. "Have they been asleep long?" Iruka asked quietly, closing the door with a near silent click. He then proceeded to lean against the door and cross his arms.

"I'm not sure to be honest. I only arrived a few minutes before you. I found all three of them asleep but it looks like Sakura was trying to stay awake to take care of the other two. I thought it would be a good idea to put a blanket on her so she wouldn't catch a cold." Kakashi answered as he folded the corner of a page to mark his place. "So what did you need Iruka-san?" Kakashi asked as he closed his book and held it in the crook of his arm as he too crossed his arms.

"I just wanted to ask them why they hurried off so quickly after my speech. I gave them my speech about being a chunin and having to train and gain knowledge. They listened to me patiently but as soon as I was done they asked to have a room they could rest in. I didn't ask for any reasons since they seemed pretty tired. Then there seemed to be an air of panic from Sakura and worry from Naruto." Iruka mused as he looked over the two. "I was just wondering what the whole problem was. I could have ordered them to give me a report as a chunin but as a teacher I wanted to see if they could deal with the problem by themselves. From the look of peace on their faces I suppose they did deal with it." He finished, grinning at the three dozing genin.

"I see, I see." Kakashi replied with a few nods. "Don't worry about it. Naruto and Sasuke have taken care of that problem." The jounin's lone eye quickly darted to Naruto. "Right, Naruto?"

Both Kakashi and Iruka stared expectantly at the blonde for a moment. "What are you talking about Kakashi-sensei? He's asleep-"

"Not completely Iruka-sensei." Naruto whispered as he sat up with his swords in hand.

"Not very comfortable sleeping with those attached to your waist, is it?" Kakashi commented silently.

"Nah, they keep jabbing into my side, it's really annoying." Naruto answered.

"You should try having one attached to your back, that's even worse." Kakashi commented again.

"The kunai under the pillow thing isn't much better either." He replied as he took a kunai from under his pillow with his other hand. "The pillow just isn't thick enough to get rid of the feeling of the kunai."

"Naruto!... Do you always sleep like that!?" Iruka asked in a surprised but hushed voice.

"Yeah. Well, I don't sleep like this at home. But whenever I'm not at home I do usually sleep like this." Naruto replied while scratching the back of his head, thinking of the cave compound as his home. "Sorry for not answering straight away there, though. It's hard to undo the loop on the sword's scabbards when all I have to go by is touch. It gets knotted up sometimes."

A bead of sweat formed on the back of both the chunin's and jounin's head. "Right." Kakashi sighed quietly.

Iruka shook his head lightly, muttering "Naruto...," under his breath. When his head came to a stop he let a grin break out. He looked back at his ex-pupil and drain on his wallet. "Well, I'm glad to see you could handle whatever the problem was. But I'm afraid, I'm also here to deliver a message. Mitarashi Anko-taichou wants to have a meeting with you tomorrow as soon as you've had breakfast." He sighed quietly before continuing. "I don't know what it's about but if I find out that you cheated in this test in some way... Let's just say you're gonna get to know the Hogake faces really well." He finished with an evil smirk and twinkle in his eye.

Naruto started sweating a little from that look. But soon he broke out in a grin. "Don't worry Iruka-sensei. I haven't cheated. I know exactly what this talk is gonna be about." All the while thinking. _' I hope.'_

Iruka's look softened. "I know Naruto." He replied going into a smile. The chunin stood slowly and turned to the door. "You don't need to cheat. I hope I see the three of you in the mess hall tomorrow morning." The chunin walked to the door and turned just before reaching for the door handle. "Good luck with the exams, Naruto." With that final phrase he opened the door and left silently.

After going around one corner Iruka collapsed slowly against the wall. He let out a long sigh. _'I guess that chakra I felt earlier isn't a problem. I suppose there really isn't anything I can do for those three anymore.' _He pushed himself off the wall and started walking_ 'But that won't stop me worrying and fussing over them!' _He thought with a small smile.

* * *

Naruto grinned happily after his old sensei. "He's very proud of you, you know? Proud of the three of you actually." Kakashi quipped as he went back to his Icha Icha.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto replied with a nod. He started settling back under his blanket.

"You have taken care of the curse mark, haven't you?" Kakashi asked in a steady, no joking voice.

Naruto froze and leveled his gaze with Kakashi. "It's sealed, it won't affect him any more."

"Will he be up tomorrow?" Kakashi asked again in the same tone.

"He should be." Naruto replied.

"Should?" Kakashi asked with a slight amount of surprise in his voice.

Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I used a new seal on him, I'm not sure if it worked the way I wanted it to. I won't know until tomorrow."

_'I suppose that's the best I could have asked for.' _Kakashi thought with a nod. "And what about the spike of Kyuubi's chakra I felt earlier?"

"That was... an accident. I had to use his chakra to help with the sealing. But he kinda gave me too much." Naruto replied with a shrug.

Kakashi nodded again. "Alright." He sighed as he too turned to the door. "I'll join the three of you tomorrow morning in the mess hall for breakfast. I'll asses Sasuke's condition then, just to be sure. If it turns out that your seal isn't sufficient, you do realize... I'll have to take him out of the exams?" The one-eyed jounin asked with his back to Naruto.

Naruto glanced down for a second. "Yeah, I know." He looked back up. "That's why I know that seal is good enough. The curse seal won't fully activate, even if Sasuke wanted it to. I made sure of that." Naruto finished, laying a hand over the seal on his forearm.

"Good, I'll see you in the morning. Make sure to sleep this time Naruto." Kakashi said as he left the room, closing the door silently.

**

* * *

  
**

Sakura groaned in an annoyed tone as the light from the windows fell on her closed eyes. Her groan was answered by an annoyed grunt from Sasuke. Who kicked out in the general direction of Naruto. The kick was answered by another groggy grunt. "Window." Sasuke mumbled in a sleepy haze.

Naruto grunted again as he got up, leaving his blades underneath the blanket. He went to the window and was about to close the blinds until he noticed the position of the sun. He quickly moved his gauntlet slightly to check his watch and confirm the time. "Damn." He muttered, letting his hands drop to his sides. He shuffled back to his futon, stored the kunai from under the pillow and reequipped his blades. Only after that did he attempt to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Sakura groaned again as she flung an arm over her eyes. Attempting to protect them from the invasive sunlight.

"Sorry Sakura-chan but we've got to get up now. Kakashi-sensei said he wanted to see us in the mess hall this morning. We're already an hour late so he might get there before us if we don't get up and go now." Was Naruto's only reply as he went over to Sasuke to wake him up.

As Naruto kneeled down, trying to think of a good way to wake him up, Sasuke spoke up. "Try anything Dobe and I'll burn away all your hair." He threatened without opening his eyes.

Naruto broke into a grin. "What makes you think I was going to do anything, Teme?"

"The fact that you kneeled down before saying anything." He answered, sitting up from the futon.

"Please guys, don't start this early." Sakura protested as she came up to separate the two. "How do you both feel this morning? Last thing I remember is that both of you had a cold sweat and you were both breathing a little raggedly." Her hands flew to their foreheads.

"I feel okay, a little hungry but okay otherwise." Naruto replied, looking up at the hand on his forehead.

"Same here but I feel like a having shower too." Sasuke replied as he too looked up at the hand on his forehead.

"Good, your temperatures are normal too." Sakura announced as she drew her hands away.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going to the mess hall!" Naruto cheered standing up from his kneeling position. He stretched his arms high over his head and got a satisfying pop from both shoulders.

"You're way too loud in the mornings Dobe." Sasuke muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes and stretching just as Naruto had. "Besides I already said I felt like having a shower. I'm going to take one before going to the mess hall. You two go ahead without me." Sasuke finished as he got up. He grabbed his shirt which had been hung on the back of the door. The three of them walked out of the room and paused in the hall as Sasuke spoke up again. "I'll be down there in about ten minutes, probably the same time as Kakashi from what you said earlier, Dobe." He informed them as he pulled the shirt down over his head.

"Yeah, that's true." Naruto confirmed, placing both his hands behind his head. "Well, see ya later Teme." He finished, turning and walking off.

"Watch out if you get a dizzy spell, just stop and take a few deep breaths if you do." Sakura told him quickly.

"I know, just go get some breakfast Sakura." Sasuke told her. She just nodded and turned away, following Naruto to the mess hall.

Sasuke watched them go for a second before turning away and heading toward the showers. _'For a headquarters this place is pretty empty.' _He thought absentmindedly as he turned a corner._ 'Then again it'll get more lively in the next few days, mostly on the last day. The losers will probably come here so they can rest and get medical attention before heading back to the village.' _He chuckled lightly as a memory of their encounter with the first team of Kusa nin came to him. _'Except for those guys. They were so close to the outside they probably went right back to the start and quit.'_

He stopped for a moment as he looked up at the kanji above a curtained door way. He was just making sure it was the men's shower room before walking in._ 'Plus they'll need to sort through the ones that have passed the test like us and tell us what's happening next.' _He thought as he stepped up to a basin with a mirror above it. Across one whole wall was basin after basin and directly across from them was a shower head coming out of the wall.

He wasted no time in removing his shirt and draping it over the side of the basin. As soon as he'd done that he moved his shoulder into view of the mirror. "What the hell was that last night Dobe?" He asked himself as he looked over the triangular shaped seal. He traced it lightly. _'That power definitely came from the Dobe last night. Except it couldn't have been the Dobe's chakra, I've seen him use a lot of chakra with my sharingan. Whenever he used it, it was blue, even that layer he always has over his skin. That layer... What the hell is it?'_

Sasuke shook his head quickly._ 'No forget about that now, it's probably just something he's been practising. I need to focus on what happened last night.' _He closed his hand over the seals and clenched his left fist._ 'The power was almost... No! I was stronger than how I felt when this curse seal was active. But what did he mean by 'Not yet. Back off for a little bit more.'?' _His fist unclenched and his right hand dropped to his side._ 'I have to find out where he's getting that power.'_

Sasuke sighed as he pulled off his sandals, kunai holster and supply pouch. He looked over the tear in his arm warmers for a second. Then he looked down at the pair around his shins. "Tch, they're useless." He muttered to himself as he tugged them off and threw them into a waste basket. _'They won't be the same if they get stitched back up. I suppose it's a good thing I have spares back at the apartment.' _He thought before tugging a string in his waistband causing his pants to drop. He flicked them up with his foot and laid them over his shirt.

Finally he turned from the mirror and walked under a shower head. Stopping only to take off his underwear and throw them back to the basin. He turned the two faucets that controlled the hot an cold water the exact amount of times he would at home. The water felt good as it fell on his head and traveled over his skin and aching muscles. He sighed. _'I should have done this yesterday when we arrived, like Sakura did.' _He chuckled lightly as an idea struck him. _'I should have suggested that Sakura watch over me while I did this to make sure I didn't collapse. She would have agreed to that in a blink of an eye.' _He chuckled again before letting out a long breath.

He lifted his head back, far enough so that the water fell directly on his face. "I have to know where that power came from. I need to know so that I can get more of it." He declared to nobody, lowering his head again. _'The chakra didn't appear until the sealing was almost done. Wait, the sealing. When Naruto performed it, the chakra was sent into me to empower the seal and that thing on Naruto's arm has something to do with it.' _He looked back over to the seals and traced the triangle again. _'I wonder.' _He thought as he tried activating the curse seal by inserting his chakra into it.

It was slow to react but eventually the curse seal responded by glowing a strange mixture of orange and black. He also felt the curse seal draining his chakra forcibly after a second. The three tomoe started pulsating until they hit the seal surrounding them. That's when the interesting stuff started. The triangular seal lit up with a fierce, fiery red colour.

**

* * *

  
**

Naruto's eyes widened and his hand froze half way to his mouth, nearly dropping the onigiri he had been eating. Sakura's hand paused as well when she noticed Naruto's expression. She lowered the spoonful of oatmeal she was about to ingest. "What's wrong Naruto-kun?" She asked in a worried tone.

Naruto lowered the half eaten onigiri back into the box it had come from. He gave a nervous smile to Sakura before standing from the bench attached to the table. "Sorry gotta go to the bathroom, y'know?" He turned and dashed off quickly out of the mess hall.

As Sakura stared after him through the open door she caught a glimpse of Ten-ten waving after him. When he didn't stop, Ten-ten put her hands on her hips and walked into the mess hall with a frown on her face. When Ten-ten entered she immediately spotted Sakura looking at her and walked over. "Hey there... Sakura-chan right? You did a good job with your hair." Ten-ten commented, looking at Sakura's now neatly cut hair. Sakura nodded a thanks after taking a spoonful of her oatmeal. "Do you know what was wrong with Naruto-kun?" Ten-ten asked before she took one of the untouched onigiri from the box Naruto had left.

"Um, he said he had to go to the bathroom." Sakura answered quietly. Ten-ten merely made a silent 'Oh' and took another bite of her onigiri. A moment of awkward silence passed as the two ate. It was eventually broken by Sakura dropping her spoon back to the bowl and asking, "Have you, um... Have you ever, uh... You've been doing missions for year now, haven't you?"

Ten-ten looked at her for a second before swallowing the last mouthful of rice. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" She inquired, reaching for another onigiri.

"Well, in one of those missions did you-" She was cut short as her mouth shut with an audible click and she sat up a little straighter with her eyes wide. Next to her Ten-ten had done the exact same.

They were both frozen for moment from the feel of the very strong chakra. "Did you feel that!?" They both asked in alarmed unison. They both looked in the direction the feeling had come from. "Naruto!/Sasuke!" They uttered simultaneously as they took off out of the mess hall, leaving the other confused and worried looking ninja behind.

**

* * *

  
**

"Kuso!" Naruto swore as he rounded the corner that led to the showers. He could feel the youki pulsating in the air now, instead of just flowing through him. He sped up just slightly as he barreled toward the showers. When he flew through the curtained doorway he was more than a little surprised at what he found. "Um, hey there." He said sheepishly.

He flinched slightly as three sets of eyes, along with a single eye, snapped to him, the fourth set being out of sight. "Hello, Naruto-kun, would you mind explaining to us why Sasuke-kun has Kyuubi's chakra emanating from him?" The Hokage asked with a stern voice.

Naruto fought back the urge to sigh and answered the Sandaime, "Of course, Hokage-sama." Naruto answered with a slight bow.

All eyes then turned to the hallway behind Naruto as the trampeling of running footsteps could be heard. The Sandaime turned to Kakashi. "Stay here and deal with them. Anko-san, take Naruto." He then turned to the ANBU that seemed to be in control of several wooden limbs protruding from the walls. All those limbs lead to a cocoon which Naruto knew held Sasuke. "Take him to the office we will follow shortly."

"Hai, Hokage-sama" The three chorused. The ANBU vanished with a shunshin. Anko stepped up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kakashi merely stepped up to the doorway and waited there. Then Anko, Sarutobi and Naruto disappeared in a shunshin.

_'Damn, I wanted to hear what Naruto had to say. Oh well, he can tell me later.' _Kakashi thought, getting ready to deal with the incoming kunoichi.

* * *

Little Omake

Kakashi leaned against the door to team 7's room as he read his little orange book. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto mumbled out as he sat back up in bed.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose as he looked over his book. "Yes, Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "I was just thinking. Back in Nami no Kuni, when you fought Zabuza. You didn't really seem to use that many jutsu. So, how come you collapsed from chakra exhaustion?" Kakashi dove back behind his book as he tried to hide his sheepish expression. Naruto continued as he stared intently at the silver-haired jounin. "Plus, I'm pretty sure you used to be ANBU. So I don't think you'd make that big a mistake." Kakashi started sweating slightly.

He gulped quietly before finally looking back over the book. "Well, you see Naruto. I wanted to, ah... see how you'd react to that kind of emergency situation. So... I expelled all my chakra while I was... inside that water prison. Yeah... Oh well that's that." Kakashi waved his had at Naruto as if to dismiss the subject.

"LIAR! You just fell asleep didn't you!? Just so you could spare walking the rest of the way to Tazuna's place!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.

Panic flew into Kakashi's eye as he clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth to stop him saying anything else. As well as keep him from waking the others. "Keep quiet about this and I'll treat you to some extra ramen after the exam is over." Naruto gave a thumbs up in response. Kakashi let his hand drop and slumped back into the wall as Naruto lay back down. _'If he told the other two that, I'd never hear the end of it. Then again losing all my money to that bottomless pit he calls a stomach isn't much better.'_

_

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_

Hey there! Sorry it took so long to get this out, I had hell with my computer. Not only did it get a bad virus, but when it got fixed I couldn't open this file to edit it. So I decided forget it and I just uploaded it to here and edited and finished it here instead.


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